Relating To Water Use Permits.
By removing the Board's authority under section 171-58 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, SB90 centralizes the management of water use permits and establishes new positions within the Commission on Water Resource Management. This shift is anticipated to facilitate a more effective approach to managing Hawaii's water resources, addressing the concerns regarding the delays in permitting processes and incomplete revenue collection. The budgeting provisions in the bill indicate that funding will be allocated to support the new positions within the Commission, thereby enhancing the state's capacity to administer water use permits efficiently.
Senate Bill 90 (SB90) proposes significant changes to the administration of water use permits in Hawaii. Currently, the process of issuing water use permits is divided between two agencies: the Board of Land and Natural Resources and the Commission on Water Resource Management. The bill aims to streamline this process by repealing the Board's power to issue water use permits and consolidating this authority solely under the Commission. This change is seen as a necessary step towards a more efficient permitting system that can ensure timely issuance and collection of revenues from water use permits, which have been irregular under the current bifurcated system.
Despite the potential benefits, there may be concerns from various stakeholders regarding the implications of centralizing water management. Critics may argue that this could limit local government authority and remove flexibility in addressing specific community water needs, as decisions would largely reside with a single state agency. Moreover, those invested in historical practices, such as traditional kalo cultivation, may express unease regarding how the newly defined regulations will interact with these established customs and whether they will have sufficient representation in the restructured management framework.