BLNR Nominations Before the Senate Water and Land Committee

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The Board of Land and Natural Resources is the decision making body of the Department of Land and Natural Resources. The Board oversees the management of public lands, waters and natural resources and issues that pertain to them.

Governor Ige has made five nominations to the Board of Land and Natural Resources that must be confirmed by the Senate. These five nominations will be heard over two hearings in the Senate Water and Land Committee—three on Friday, March 18 and two on Monday, March 21 both at 1pm.

There are seven seats on the board, therefore these five nominees will ​​constitute a supermajority of the BLNR and may dictate the outcome of many important issues for the next few years including Maunakea, long-term water leases/licenses, the disposition of "ceded" lands, military land leases, shoreline hardening, CBSFAs, aquarium collection, etc.  

This is not a duty that should be taken lightly and serious consideration must go into confirming these seats. Please take a moment to contact members of the Senate Water and Land Committee and urge them to ask key questions of the nominees to better understand the individuals’ suitability for these seats.

Contact information and sample questions provided below.

Hearings:

Riley Smith, Doreen Canto, and Karen Ono will go before the Senate Water and Land Committee on Friday, March 18 at 1pm. 
Kaiwi Yoon and Aimee Barnes will go before the Senate Water and Land Committee on Monday, March 21 at 1pm.

Contact info & sample questions

Contact information for the Senate Water and Land Committee

Chair Inouye, 808-586-7335, seninouye@capitol.hawaii.gov
Vice Chair Keith-Agaran, 808-586-7344, senkeithagaran@capitol.hawaii.gov
Senator Misalucha, 808-586-6230, senmisalucha@capitol.hawaii.gov
Senator Fevella, 808-586-6360, senfevella@capitol.hawaii.gov
Senator Riviere, 808-586-7330, senriviere@capitol.hawaii.gov

Questions:

  • What is your background in conservation, natural/cultural resource management, and or environmental sciences?

  • Should the US military and the University of Hawaiʻi be re-issued leases for training and observatory development after their repeated, ongoing failures to protect our public trust lands and waters?

  • Should water leases allow more than half of any given stream to be diverted for years on end? Do 30-year water leases make sense in the climate change era?

  • Have you ever opposed efforts to protect water and its public trust uses through water management area designations?

  • Will you protect the rights of Native Hawaiians and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands as recognized in the Hawaiʻi Constitution and Hawaiian Homes Commission Act?