Call Chair Dela Cruz and request SLR bill hearings
/We started with a list of 14 climate change and sea level rise bills, and now only 4 remain! These 4 sea level rise bills need your help—they need to be scheduled in the Senate Committee on Ways and Means.
Take a sec this week to call the chair of WAM, Sen. Dela Cruz, to ask him to hear HB 461, HB 549, HB 765, and HB 1487 in his committee. Call him at 808-586-6090 and email him at sendelacruz@capitol.hawaii.gov.
You can state your support for the 4 bills by saying:
“Aloha Chair Dela Cruz, my name is _____ and I’m a resident of ______. Please hear the following four bills in WAM: HB 461, HB 549, HB 765, and HB 1487. These bills relate to climate change, coastal planning, and sea level rise. They would incorporate SLR projections and hazards into our state plans, prevent coastal hardening to protect our beaches, and support innovative projects and funding to address climate change. These are the only sea level rise bills still alive this session and we need your leadership and support. Please hear and pass these bills.”
Additional info on the bills that you may add to your calls and emails:
HB 461 - This bill requires the Hawai‘i Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission to utilize the findings of the latest Sea Level Rise Report and identify and incorporate sea level rise predictions within public infrastructure planning and investment processes, to work with state and county agencies to develop sea level rise adaptation plans, and make further climate change mitigation and adaptation recommendations to the Legislature. This bill also appropriates funds to help the Commission execute this work.
HB 549 - This bill requires new developments to plan for the impacts of projected sea level rise and prohibits development in areas significantly affected by projected sea level rise. It updates Chapter 205A-the Coastal Zone Management Act, to incorporate sea level rise within its objectives, policies, and permitting processes. This bill will help prevent the loss of beaches and public access caused in large part by granting of shoreline setback variances, especially as we enter a new era of sea level rise. As the sea level rises we can expect a increase in the number of applications to armor coastal properties with seawalls and revetments. HB 549 helps to guard against further shoreline hardening and protect our coastal ecosystems.
HB 765 - This bill requires incorporation of sea level rise projections in all new plans and updates to existing state plans generated under the Hawaii State Planning Act. It provides the legislative mandate needed to implement findings and recommendations from the “Hawai‘i Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report” prepared by the Hawai‘i Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission, especially those recommendations dealing with climate change hazards and mitigation in an era of sea level rise. This bill is a good first step to ensure our agencies incorporate and evaluate the latest sea level rise projections.
HB 1487 - This bill establishes and appropriates funds for the Honolulu shoreline climate protection pilot project to develop a plan to protect urban Honolulu from the acute impacts of sea level rise, floodwater, storms, and other impacts of a rapidly changing climate. The coastline of urban Honolulu will be a particularly important and challenging area to protect in the face of rising seas and more frequent flooding and inland inundation. HB 1487 directs the Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission to plan a system of coastal protection for “sea level rise exposure areas” within urban Honolulu, creating a shoreline buffer from the Honolulu International Airport to the Diamond Head State Monument.
Mahalo for your support!