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Committee approves wetlands protection resolution for Maui with technical amendments; HR191 (HCR199) passes
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Summary
The House Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection voted April 1, 2025, to pass HR191 (HCR199) with amendments, including removing a Division of Forestry and Wildlife reference from the title and designating the County of Maui as responsible for wetland protection on Maui.
The House Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection on April 1, 2025, voted to pass HR191 (HCR199) with amendments directing technical changes and assigning responsibility for wetland protection on Maui to the County of Maui rather than a DLNR division.
Catherine Stanaway appeared as the Department of Land and Natural Resources representative for Emma Ewen, Division of Forestry and Wildlife, and said DLNR “support[s] the intent of this measure” while offering clarifying edits: she asked that the title remove a reference to the Division of Forestry and Wildlife and said county law regulates development and therefore county jurisdiction applies for development oversight. Mike Moran, representing the Kihei Community Association, said South Maui has suffered from wetland filling and associated flooding and erosion, urging preservation to reduce future damage. Audrey Lester described recent emergency maintenance in a Kuliniakoi gulch, saying “an emergency bill cleared out over a 100,000 cubic yards of wetlands before the rain came,” and that effort captured an estimated “another 30,000 cubic yards of silt” in a sediment basin; she and others said there is no sustained mechanism for regular maintenance and long-term protection.
Committee amendments recorded in the hearing: remove the Division of Forestry and Wildlife from the title, revise the reference to the Division of Agriculture to instead cite the Division of Aquatic Resources, change phrasing of “waters of the state” to “state waters,” and designate the County of Maui as the responsible party for wetland protection on Maui. The chair also requested technical amendments for clarity and consistency.
The committee recorded the chair and vice chair voting aye; the committee noted Representative Quinlan excused and recorded no nos or reservations, and the recommendation was adopted.
Discussion versus action: testimony included agency clarifications (DLNR support in intent and suggested edits), community testimony about past culverting/filling and maintenance costs, and calls for a permanent maintenance mechanism. The committee’s action was to pass the resolution with the stated amendments; the record does not attach a funding source or create a maintenance program.
Ending: The committee forwarded the amended resolution to the next stage with the noted textual and jurisdictional edits; the hearing record does not include implementation timelines or appropriation details.
