OPPOSE HB826 HD2: Defend Our Food Security, Public Trust, and Public Interest

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HB826 HD2, which would fast-track development of up to 100 acres of agricultural and rural lands at a time, is being heard by the Senate Water and Land and Housing Committees on Tuesday, March 18 at 1:05pm in room 225 (watch online here). 

Sample testimony for HB826 HD2

Aloha Chairs Inouye and Chang, Vice Chairs Elefante and Hashimoto, and members of the committees, 

My name is [Your name] and I strongly OPPOSE HB826 HD2, which would allow counties to side-step the Land Use Commission, and authorize residential development on up to 100 acres of non-urban land at a time - severely and needlessly compromising the rights and needs of our present and future generations.

The state Land Use Commission (LUC) has decades of experience balancing the urbanization of our non-urban lands with our future food security, natural and cultural resource protection, Native Hawaiian rights, climate resilience, and even job creation and affordable housing needs. It does this using a time-tested, objective, and transparent process that ensures a vetted factual record, due process for any impacted rights, and an explicit consideration of other critical public interests.

County planning commissions lack the LUC’s expertise and institutional memory, and do not utilize the LUC’s sophisticated “contested case hearing” process when rendering land use decisions. 

Accordingly, allowing county planning commissions to approve 100-acre development projects on non-urban lands could lead to less-than-informed and potentially biased decisionmaking, threatening needless and irreversible harm to Hawaiʻi’s lands, water, food security, economy, and social fabric. With the uncertainties of climate destabilization we must protect, and not undermine, these foundations of resilience for ourselves, as well as our children, grandchildren, and the future generations who will call these islands home.

I urge you to HOLD HB826 HD2.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Testimony instructions

  1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t 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 "Submit Testimony" button.

  3. Enter "HB826" where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

  4. Input your information and your written testimony, select your testimony option(s)—in-person + written, remotely + written, written only. Please consider providing verbal testimony (in-person or remotely) if you are able! 

    1. Note: Virtual testimony option may be disabled 24 hours before the hearing.

  5. If you are testifying via Zoom, be sure to review these instructions (page 4)