Aloha Friends,

 

I hope you and your family are well. Here are a few things I'd like to share:

 

Environment Committees to Focus on Environmental Review Law

Rep. Hermina Morita, Chair of the House Energy and Environmental Protection Committee, and I as Chair of the Senate ENE committee, co-chaired an informational briefing on January 15th to hear about the results of a comprehensive two-year study by UH Manoa researchers on Chapter 343—the state's environmental review law. The study is intended to providerecommendations on what changes in law are needed to both better protect our environment and give guidance to developers and government agencies on when an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement should be conducted.

 

Wear Blue for Oceans Day

Rep. Morita and I co-sponsored the "Wear Blue for Oceans Day" at the Capitol on January 13th. The event gave environmental groups and government agencies a chance to set up booths and share information on the importance of protecting our oceans. One of the main purposes of the event was to bring attention to President Obama's efforts to create the first ever National Policy for our oceans, coasts, and the Great Lakes. We need a National Policy to bring clarity and better coordination amongst the 20 different federal agencies, which now work in the area of ocean resource management.

 

Foodland Coming to Kapolei

It was great taking part in the groundbreaking ceremony for the Kapolei Village Center on January 14th. This will be a 56,620 square-foot shopping area located at the intersection of Wakea and Kapolei Parkway. The shopping center will include a 36,320 square foot Foodland and also a dozen retail shops, such as a florist, bank, hair salon, and Mexican restaurant. The stores are expected to be open by the Spring 2011 and will be a great addition to our growing city.

 

Climate Change Task Force Should Convene

I joined with Robert Harris, the Director of the Sierra Club - Hawai'i Chapter and Mark Fox, Director of Government Affairs for the Nature Conservancy, at a news conference recently regarding Governor Lingle's decision to not fund the Climate Change Task Force. The fact that the legislature passed SB 266 last session and then overrode the Governor’s veto in order for it to become law (Act 20) indicates our interest in this issue. Act 20 established the Climate Change Task Force within the Office of Planning. The task force has been directed to investigate the potential impacts and costs of global warming trends and ocean level rising on our state. Our state's budget crisis poses many serious challenges, but also provides us with opportunities if we are creative and show leadership.

 

Listen-Story

My next Listen-Story meeting will be at the Kunia Starbucks at the Kunia Shopping Center, 94-673 Kupuohi Street, on Saturday, February 20th from 9-10 a.m. 

 

Please contact me if I can help you in any way. My phone number is 586-6830 and email is This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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