[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6126112,"mediaKeyId","2670921-86a5d20a9d8d3a7865a5825b1db84e19","parentId",2670921,"title","Mixed testimony in West Maui over Kahana Bay revetment, regional erosion planning","audioSeconds",3839,"startMs",3471000,"endMs",7310000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2670921-86a5d20a9d8d3a7865a5825b1db84e19&start=3471&end=7310","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2670921-86a5d20a9d8d3a7865a5825b1db84e19/thumbnail_3471000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6126112/Hawaii/Mixed-testimony-in-West-Maui-over-Kahana-Bay-revetment-regional-erosion-planning","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6126112-c24ac7795c944faa34cdb2601b152ca3/orig.mp4?Expires=1775060889&Signature=OzOxZpoxX8FtZZS8Bwfcx3slWHKEff2ny2aORBIwimdZ4A6W3M-YyozwJD4BejxZKoWXDThA7xK3fwo3zlx8y0v7ATmE2O~Bqf0A~0M~j65emDoVzpyn7CjfyG60ArAxzAwcog4zvAChsdPkShZAgG-dUfrZtSUYwztxYwiWAX0q1lgn8XJwznWJrUhpzSJ7tgy1VvRo4hDoqu1xncpkB9Olx8pQiHZdzvnyLognBSnw9Mtmv5zOK2NJAX7lb83OWATgYCgR-7z2QMeM3gR7COHTI0juLwJk1zatFjNT4tu4EYvPJe3olzkzlhXVwA79IHPGs-6t9GZ~0sreDmN~PQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Senate Committee on Water and Land","date","2025-03-18T12:59:04Z","article","The Senate Committee on Water and Land heard oral and written testimony March 17 on two related West Maui items: SCR 47, a resolution authorizing a nonexclusive easement for a rock revetment and related public access improvements at the Hololani condominium site in Kahana, and SCR 76, a request that state agencies consult with local stakeholders on a regional Kahana Bay erosion mitigation plan.

Hololani and its project engineer described a long permitting history and framed SCR 47 as the final step in a project that replaced emergency sandbags with a lower‑profile rock revetment and public access stairs. Mihoko Ito, representing Hololani, said the project is fully permitted under federal, state and county approvals and is “legally grandfathered in under the passage of Act 16 from 2020,” and that the Board of Land and Natural Resources previously approved an easement in 2018. Jim Berry, the project engineer, said the design team worked with regulators during an environmental assessment and recommended the hybrid solution of a sheet pile wall backed by a short rock revetment; Berry said the revetment would be more durable and visually less intrusive than the existing sandbag emergency structure.

Supporters and local residents described heavy investment and long effort to reach a regional solution. Speakers representing condo associations and the Kahana Bay Steering Committee said they have funded scientific work (including a draft environmental impact statement) and seek a coordinated, bay‑wide solution that both restores sand to beaches and addresses flooding of the adjacent roadway. Julie Adcock, board president of Po’ Hailani and the steering committee representative, said the group is willing to partner with county government and consider financing mechanisms including a special tax district.

Opponents voiced strong objections. Katie Austin of Lahaina Strong said seawalls and revetments accelerate erosion and destroy beaches, called the Hololani project an inappropriate use of government decision‑making in the wake of the Lahaina wildfire, and urged the legislature to focus on community recovery, not protecting private beachfront investments. Multiple Zoom commenters and in‑person opponents said many owners of affected properties live off‑island and that earlier permit applications had been denied or were controversial; they urged managed retreat or other alternatives rather than hardening the shoreline.

DLNR and OCCL representatives said they would stand on written testimony. DLNR recommended OPSD as the coordinating agency for a regional study rather than a regulatory body acting as coordinator; DLNR staff noted legal and permitting constraints and said OCCL would remain the regulator for conservation district permits and related approvals. Mary Alice Evans of OPSD said managed retreat is a last‑resort option and that OPSD has been studying regional shoreline erosion and options, but that communities should decide if and when retreat is appropriate. DLNR suggested technical amendments to SCR 76 to name OPSD as the coordinator for a regional approach.

Public testimony showed a sharply divided local community. Record counts presented to the committee included about 109 written comments in support and 22 in opposition for SCR 47; oral testimony included condo owners, steering committee members and multiple West Maui residents both for and against the revetment and regional planning.

Clarifying details from the hearing:
- Hololani: project has an earlier BLNR approval (2018) and was presented as grandfathered under Act 16 (2020); sandbags have been in place roughly 18 years according to the project team.
- The proponents said the public would receive a funded access stairway and drainage improvements as part of the project.
- DLNR and OCCL noted prior legal and regulatory steps, including a denied construction right‑of‑entry at a December board meeting, and suggested OPSD lead regional coordination.

No formal votes were taken March 17. Committee members indicated they would schedule decision making for the items on a later date and asked agencies and stakeholders to continue consultations and to provide consolidated proposals and technical amendments for review.

Speakers quoted in this article are drawn from the hearing transcript and are listed in the speakers array.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","WTL Public Hearing 03-17-2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Senate Committee on Water and Land heard competing testimony March 17 on SCR 47, a proposed easement and rock revetment at the Hololani condominium in Kahana, and SCR 76, a call for regional coordination on Kahana Bay erosion mitigation.","taxTitle","Senate Committee on Water and Land, Senate, Legislative , Hawaii","taxId",25739,"location","Hawaii","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6126122,"Ranchers urge transfer of active ag leases to Dept. of Agriculture; DLNR opposes mandatory transfers",2299,970000,3269000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2670921-86a5d20a9d8d3a7865a5825b1db84e19&start=970&end=3269","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2670921-86a5d20a9d8d3a7865a5825b1db84e19/thumbnail_970000.jpg","/articles/6126122/Hawaii/Ranchers-urge-transfer-of-active-ag-leases-to-Dept-of-Agriculture-DLNR-opposes-mandatory-transfers","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6126122-e96c873627c3e2ca031f8c18a83d9376/orig.mp4?Expires=1775060889&Signature=J53VDtMSVcNdrtPZ5ltVzo3mD4SvROB3UpQUixA4dz3s1kL8o8WxXHhvBI7JJAQHMyK6uxp9U3zCc~gSMGmMNHAm6uHtr5XxHXXKgWs335TGGTEoqI9sIZNXgpVt68rdYlUTvf3Mn5NSTnYwQ3v02e3eZWTSFEoS11NLzNXp5q9euEkVYdblheyX0S9wkRIRvZXsXel6fyzFs8cYw2T1GjtcBVXUSK14BbIRFzuvCeHUmQomtOylW56N23HGbeBBdgEmO0YiJlsdUfq~-ll5yZKIAfaD7eMxMR3BRIGjguzLfxV0F73dyrTOoCVMw2xNWA982K-4Tx2EcxDPW5DzhQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Committee on Water and Land members heard rival views March 17 on SR 118, a resolution asking the Department of Land and Natural Resources to transfer active agricultural leases to the Department of Agriculture to support agriculture.

The measure drew support from ranchers and farming groups who said the transfer is needed to keep working ranches viable. Nicole Galassie of the Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council told the committee the ranching community is asking for “less than 11,000 acres” to be transferred and said partial transfers proposed by DLNR would strip ranchers of water infrastructure and supplemental pasture. “If they just transfer parts of these leases, they will not be able to stay in business,” Galassie said.

Why it matters: supporters framed SR 118 as a targeted land‑use fix to preserve active agricultural production and protect ranch infrastructure that ranchers built and maintain. Opponents, led by DLNR, said the department has worked with the Department of Agriculture to transfer parcels where there is mutual agreement and that the resolution’s mandatory wording would compel transfers without DLNR consent.

Dawn Chang, testifying for DLNR, said the department opposes the resolution’s requirement to transfer parcels that DLNR does not consent to. “We have been moving in good faith to transfer…parcels where there is mutual agreement,” Chang told the committee and said DLNR stands on its written testimony and is available to answer questions.

Ranchers described specific parcels and local impacts. Joey Loyola, representing Botella Hawaii Enterprise, said the company uses roughly 856 acres of the contested parcel and wants to retain large contiguous pasture and water infrastructure; he said DLNR proposed retaining only 42 acres around a water tank. Steven Iluz of St. Iluz Ranch said DLNR is proposing to retain the higher‑elevation, more productive 3,010‑acre parcel while offering the lessee the less productive lower parcel. Iluz told the committee the higher ground supports roughly 700 head of cattle and that losing it would make the operation nonviable.

DLNR staff and the Land Division said they have met with affected lessees and are negotiating. DLNR staff said one TELA lease totals about 5,700 acres and that DLNR is proposing to transfer about 4,800 acres of that lease to DOA — a “large proportion,” DLNR said — and that other parcels remain under review and subject to site visits.

The Hawaii Farm Bureau and other agriculture interests voiced strong support. Bridal Miyamoto of the Hawaii Farm Bureau said the group has supported these transfers for more than 20 years and urged the committee to advance the resolution as a step to protect food production and farm jobs. Testimony and oral remarks repeatedly cited losses of agricultural acreage in recent years and the role ranchers play in wildfire response and land stewardship.

Clarifying details offered during the hearing included acreage estimates and site specifics: witnesses identified four key TMKs under discussion (Duluth/Diluz, Botelho/Botella, Nobriga/Nobriga and Diamond B), noted a requested total in the neighborhood of 11,000 acres, and gave parcel‑level numbers (for example, an 856‑acre contested parcel and a 5,700‑acre TELA lease with a proposed transfer of 4,800 acres). DLNR said negotiation and mutual agreement between DLNR and DOA remain required under Act 90, the statutory vehicle previously used for transfers.

There were no formal votes recorded during this March 17 hearing; committee members asked DLNR and DOA staff to continue negotiations and to update the committee on progress. The committee chair indicated decision making on SR 118 would occur later in the process.

What’s next: committee members noted the bill vehicle for similar language remains alive in the legislature and that decision‑making on this resolution will be scheduled for a later calendar date. The record shows active negotiations between the departments and individual lessees; committee members pressed for clarity about acreage, water infrastructure and the timing of lease expirations.

Speakers quoted in this article spoke during the SR 118 hearing and are listed in the accompanying speakers array. All quotes are verbatim and attributed to the speaker shown in the transcript.","Senate Committee on Water and Land members heard rival views March 17 on SR 118, a resolution asking the Department of Land and Natural Resources to transfer active agricultural leases to the Department of Agriculture to support agriculture.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6126117,"State offices back study to place Office of Resilience and Recovery; working group composition discussed",142,3210000,3352000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2670921-86a5d20a9d8d3a7865a5825b1db84e19&start=3210&end=3352","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2670921-86a5d20a9d8d3a7865a5825b1db84e19/thumbnail_3210000.jpg","/articles/6126117/Hawaii/State-offices-back-study-to-place-Office-of-Resilience-and-Recovery-working-group-composition-discussed","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6126117-692f877409f0d703a683e28aa5040a0e/orig.mp4?Expires=1775060889&Signature=UUS4vwjij46P4vqYKcHL0AwqvzhoeoPJW5UlVsY7PJa034xPvYFPV8E0MNDNHXUL-sh3ol06sIJhvyuY0B7r3tI85p2KimJVS1S8RudUD66je7sCgIznhq6u8ZQt~g~Z-U0afTYyn56zSHurmOYnxuRCCvxeFGv5GhwBd6wzhQ5g0ozC9DgoZthnNmjXN1ky0NcOJdATm6XhWfiJ0kfQHhEsi47gHKNOscQU8XRbuZrWP6FhWAoOqKbNVlwrlGqTDMZfQ9cIgCeW4RC~alHtBl~6fNl0zNV-EzbNJlncZTO8MrHsypaHQDCGelXXIRdTI52-5FOGp7ACwr4YKO1gRQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Committee members heard testimony March 17 supporting SCR 51 and SR 33, resolutions requesting the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development (OPSD) to convene a working group to evaluate the establishment and administrative placement of an Office of Resilience and Recovery.

Mary Alice Evans, director of the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, said OPSD supported the resolution and noted the Office of Resilience and Recovery’s role in the Maui wildfire recovery. Luke Myers, branch chief in the Office of Recovery and Resiliency and the State Disaster Recovery Coordinator for the Maui wildfires, also supported the resolution and asked the committee to allow a flexible membership so counties could designate recovery/resiliency leads or mayoral designees. “We would ask that you look at the recovery and resiliency leads in the county,” Myers said, describing counties’ existing recovery offices and climate or resiliency staff.

Why it matters: witnesses said a formal evaluation of placement and structure would help coordinate future disaster recovery and resilience functions and preserve lessons from the Maui wildfire response. OPSD emphasized planning and coastal zone management experience and told the committee it has been studying regional shoreline erosion and response options.

Support came from multiple state and advisory entities. Luke Myers noted the Office of Recovery and Resiliency’s experience during wildfire recovery and recommended including county recovery leads as committee designees. The Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority and local climate advisory groups filed written support, and the Board of Water Supply and other entities signaled backing; Ernie Lau of the Honolulu Board of Water Supply said the state should prepare for future disasters and supported the proposed resolution.

Discussion focused on composition and roles: Myers and OPSD said the working group should include county recovery or resiliency leads rather than only emergency managers, to reflect counties’ recovery offices and climate staff. Committee members and testifiers framed the measure as a planning step rather than an immediate reorganization of authority.

No formal committee action was taken March 17; committee staff scheduled decision making at a later date. The resolutions were presented as tools to study placement, membership and responsibilities for a resilience and recovery entity, not as directives to implement organizational change without subsequent legislative or administrative steps.

All quoted speakers are drawn from the hearing record and are listed in the speakers array.","The committee heard support March 17 for SCR 51 / SR 33 to convene a working group to evaluate establishing and placing an Office of Resilience and Recovery. The Office of Planning and Sustainable Development and the state's recovery office backed the resolution and suggested adjustments to membership to include county recovery leads.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Mixed testimony in West Maui over Kahana Bay revetment, regional erosion planning

Ranchers urge transfer of active ag leases to Dept. of Agriculture; DLNR opposes mandatory transfers

State offices back study to place Office of Resilience and Recovery; working group composition discussed