Bad Water Bill - Act Now to End HB2164

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February 8 update:

HB2164 was deferred and is essentially dead for this session. You can watch the hearing here.

HB2164 would allow the DLNR to issue 55-year water licenses through direct negotiation, rather than through the appraisal and public auction process currently required. The bad bill has a hearing on Tuesday, 9am in the House Committee on Water & Land.

Why is this bill bad?

HB2164 fails to address the concerns raised last year about the lack of appropriate safeguards to ensure that our public trust streams, springs, and aquifers and the people and life that depend on them are not wrongfully deprived of water, in favor of the politically and economically powerful corporations who will be negotiating for long-term water licenses.

Sample testimony

Dear Chair Tarnas, Vice Chair Branco, and members of the House Water & Land Committee,

I respectfully OPPOSE HB2164, which may facilitate the issuance of water licenses that inappropriately deprive our streams, estuaries, and aquifers, as well as the people, practices, and living things that depend on them, from the water they are rightfully entitled to, for up to 55 years at a time. Much greater conversation is needed between DLNR, the Water Commission, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners, rural and subsistence communities, climate change experts, biologists, and others to develop sufficient statutory safeguards that can appropriately balance the rights and interests of the public and water licensees in the issuance of any water license through direct negotiation. Accordingly, I respectfully urge you to HOLD HB2164.

Mahalo nui for the opportunity to testify,

[your name]

Testimony instructions:

  1. Register for a capitol website account if you havenʻt yet (youʻll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email)

  2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the orange "Testimony" button.

  3. Enter "bill #" where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

  4. Input your information and your written testimony, and where it says "How will you be testifying?" make sure to check the bubble up to testify remotely via Zoom if you can!

  5. If you are testifying via Zoom, sign back into your account on the capitol website three hours before the hearing and click on the orange "Testimony" button again; on the left hand side youʻll be able to scroll down and there will be a Zoom link next to the bill # (for more information see here)