HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-02-22 Mayor Harry Kim's Testimony re SB 1239 ,..41g7,77.p' Wil Okabe
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25 Aupuni Street,Suite 2603 • Hilo,Hawaii 96720 • (808)961-8211 • Fax(808)961-6553
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February 22, 2017
Senator Jill Tokuda
Ways and Means Committee
Hawai'i State Capitol
Honolulu, HI 96813
Dear Chair Tokuda and members:
RE: SB 1239
Thank you for this opportunity to testify in strong support of SB 1239.
The way in which the ohia forests of the Big Island have been decimated cannot
be overstated, and it is difficult to comprehend if not seen in person. It seems that one
day there is a forest that people take for granted and assume will exist for millennia, and
the next day there are barren trees comparable to a severe northern winter. Then the
realization sets in that those trees will not regenerate in the spring, or ever again.
Whatever funding the Senate chooses to provide in SB 1239 will be a small price
to pay to save what remains of this vital natural resource.
Respectfully submitted,
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Harry Kim
Mayor
County of Hawai`i is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.