HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-02-18 Letter to Donovan M. Dela Cruz and Gilbert S.C. Keith-Agaran SB 2379 Relating to Cesspools o;+�v;os„4 Roy Takemoto
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Harry Kim ,.y
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Mayor
Barbara J. Kossow
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County of Hawai`i
Office of the Mayor
25 Aupuni Street,Suite 2603 • Hilo, Hawaii 96720 • (808)961-8211 • Fax(808)961-6553
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February 18, 2020
Senator Donovan M. Dela Cruz, Chair
Senator Gilbert S.C. Keith-Agaran, Vice Chair
Committee on Ways and Means
Dear Chair Dela Cruz, Vice Chair Keith-Agaran, and Committee Members:
RE: SB 2379 Relating to Cesspools
SB 2379 calls for research, education, and outreach, with respect to the impact
of cesspools on Hawaii's waters. While I applaud this initiative, I would like to ask for
one amendment.
Right now, the bill calls for communicating "the need for statewide conversion of
cesspools to protect the coastal and nearshore environment..." and "solutions that
support converting all cesspools in the State by 2050." My suggestion is that this
research could be more objective if one of its tasks was to determine whether there was
a scientific basis for forcing the expensive conversion of"all" cesspools.
I realize that present law requires such conversion. But objective research might
reveal that geographic exceptions could be made without impacting waters at all,
thereby saving millions of dollars and a lot of heartache, with no countervailing negative
consequences.
Since you are funding research anyway, wouldn't it make sense to be sure that
the premise on which the research is based is scientifically sound?
I hope you will amend SB 2379 to make this simple but meaningful change and
thank you for your consideration.
fGRe ctfully Submitted,
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Harry
MAYOR
County of Hawaii is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.