| 45 | | - | WHEREAS, following the Maui wildfires in August 2023, the Speaker of the House of Representatives established six bipartisan interim working groups tasked with evaluating specific topics in the aftermath of the wildfires and making recommendations for appropriate legislative action in the Regular Session of 2024; and WHEREAS, members of the working groups collaborated with federal, state, and county agencies, along with community stakeholders and interested parties, to identify immediate issues that require temporary or transitional relief for the people and businesses of West Maui; and WHEREAS, the Wildfire Prevention Working Group was specifically tasked with identifying the causes of wildfires and preventative action that may be taken to reduce the risk of wildfires throughout the State; and WHEREAS, the State is facing a growing wildfire crisis exacerbated by the mounting impacts of climate change; and WHEREAS, the annual area burned by wildfires in the State has increased three hundred percent between 1904 and 2022; and WHEREAS, every year, about 0.50 percent of the State's total land area burns, which is greater than the proportion of land area burned across the entire United States mainland; and WHEREAS, despite this situation, Hawaii spends less than other states on wildfire prevention and response, budgeting an annual average of $3,200,000 over the past decade; and WHEREAS, to promote the effective prevention, pre‑suppression, and control of forest fires in the Northwest wildland region of the United States and adjacent areas of Canada, the United States Congress enacted the Northwest Wildland Fire Protection Agreement (Agreement) under Public Law 105-377; and WHEREAS, this Agreement allows members to request aid from other members in controlling or preventing wildland fires; and WHEREAS, the Agreement provides a way for member states, provinces, and territories to cope with wildland fires that might be beyond the capabilities of a single member agency, through information, technology, and resources sharing activities; and WHEREAS, the members of the Agreement develop procedures that will facilitate and coordinate the sharing of information, technology, and resources in order to mitigate and manage the effect of wildland fires in a safe, effective, and efficient manner through the compact area of responsibility; and WHEREAS, however, membership to this Agreement is limited to Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, the Yukon Territory, the Province of British Columbia, and the Province of Alberta, including any other state, province, or territory that is contiguous to any member; and WHEREAS, while membership is limited to certain geographical constraints, the State has much to benefit from the Agreement to prevent a tragedy similar to the Maui wildfires form reoccurring; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2024, the Senate concurring, that the current members of the Northwest Wildland Fire Protection Agreement (Agreement) under Public Law 105-377 are requested to amend the Agreement to allow Hawaii to join as a member; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governors of the states of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington; Lieutenant Governors of the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan; and Commissioners of the Yukon and Northwest Territories. Report Title: Northwest Wildland Fire Protection Agreement; Membership |
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| 45 | + | WHEREAS, following the Maui wildfires in August of 2023, the Speaker of the State House of Representatives established six bipartisan interim working groups tasked with evaluating specific topics in the aftermath of the wildfires and making recommendations for appropriate legislative action in the Regular Session of 2024; and WHEREAS, members of the working groups collaborated with federal, state, and county agencies, along with community stakeholders and interested parties, to identify immediate issues that require temporary or transitional relief for the people and businesses of West Maui; and WHEREAS, the Wildfire Prevention Working Group was specifically tasked with identifying the causes of wildfires and preventative action that may be taken to reduce the risk of wildfires throughout the State; and WHEREAS, the State is facing a growing wildfire crisis exacerbated by the mounting impacts of climate change; and WHEREAS, the annual area burned by wildfires in the State has increased three hundred percent between 1904 and 2022; and WHEREAS, every year, about 0.50 percent of the State's total land area burns, which is greater than the proportion of land area burned across the entire United States mainland; and WHEREAS, despite this, Hawaii spends less than other states on wildfire prevention and response, budgeting an annual average of $3,200,000 over the past decade; and WHEREAS, to promote the effective prevention, pre‑suppression, and control of forest fires in the Northwest wildland region of the United States and adjacent areas of Canada, the United States Congress enacted the Northwest Wildland Fire Protection Agreement (Agreement) under Public Law 105-377; and WHEREAS, this Agreement allows members to request aid from other members in controlling or preventing wildland fires; and WHEREAS, the Agreement provides a way for member states, provinces, and territories to cope with wildland fires that might be beyond the capabilities of a single member agency, through information, technology, and resources sharing activities; and WHEREAS, the members of the Agreement develop procedures that will facilitate and coordinate the sharing of information, technology, and resources in order to mitigate and manage the effect of wildland fires in a safe, effective, and efficient manner through the compact area of responsibility; and WHEREAS, however, membership to this Agreement is limited to Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, the Yukon Territory, the Province of British Columbia, or the Province of Alberta, including any other state, province, or territory that is contiguous to any member; and WHEREAS, while membership is limited to certain geographical constraints, the State has much to benefit from the Agreement to prevent a tragedy similar to the Maui wildfires form reoccurring; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2024, the Senate concurring, that Hawaii's congressional delegation is requested to amend Public Law 105‑377 to expand the membership of the Agreement to include Hawaii; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to members of Hawaii's congressional delegation. OFFERED BY: _____________________________ Report Title: Northwest Wildland Fire Protection Agreement; Membership |
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