Red Hill County & State Bills On The Move!
This coming Tuesday, February 8, there will be hearings on state and county bills that could #shutdownredhill and make sure future generations will never have to deal with the kind of crisis we are experiencing today. See below for more details, information on how to testify in support of these key bills, and sample testimony. Please take some time to submit your testimony and spread the word!
BILL 48
Being considered by the City Council Committee on Transportation, Sustainability, and Health next Tuesday at 9 a.m.:
Bill 48 Proposed CD2: This bill would require permits for the operation of any underground storage tank facility greater than 100,000 gallons in capacity. The proposed CD2 version of this bill would require an even higher standard than the state for these types of facilities, and require permit applicants to demonstrate that the facility will not leak any regulated substance into the environment during its operating life.
HB2514 & HB2274
Being heard by the House Committee on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness and the House Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection next Tuesday at 11 a.m.:
HB2514: This bill would prohibit the issuance of permits for any underground storage tank greater than 100,000 gallons.
HB2274: This bill is similar to SB2172, which was passed out of the Senate Committee on Health and Senate Committee on Agriculture and the Environment, with much-needed amendments. This measure seeks to prohibit underground fuel storage tanks of greater than 100 gallons within a half mile of an aquifer. See below for sample testimony with critical amendments to ask for!
Please take a moment to submit written testimony and sign up to orally testify if you can! And, please don’t forget to ask your friends and neighbors to do the same. Instructions on how to testify along with sample testimonies can be found below.
How to Submit Written Testimony for City and County of Honolulu Bill 48 Proposed CD2:
Enter your name and contact information. For meeting date, enter 02-08-2022; in the dropdown menu for “Council/PH Committee” select “Transportation, Sustainability, and Health,” for Agenda Item enter “Bill 48 CD2,” and indicate “Support” for your position.
Fill out the rest of the form including your written testimony, enter the Captcha, and click “Submit.”
Don’t forget to remind your friends and neighbors to testify as well!
How to Sign Up to Orally Testify on Bill 48 Proposed CD2:
Complete the registration form and register to testify orally. Be sure to enter “Bill 48 Proposed CD2” in the box at the bottom.
A Zoom link will be e-mailed to you that you can use to testify on Tuesday at 9 a.m.
Oral testimonies are limited to 1 minute
Sample testimony on Bill 48 Proposed CD2:
Aloha Chair Cordero, Vice Chair Elefante, and members of the Transportation, Sustainability, and Health Committee,
I STRONGLY SUPPORT the proposed CD2 draft of Bill 48, which would allow the City and County of Honolulu use its full authority to protect our groundwater supply from catastrophic contamination by underground storage tank systems. We have already seen the devastating impacts that water contamination from leaky underground storage tanks may have on people and the environment, with additional effects likely to ripple across our island over the summer and into the foreseeable future. The City and County must do all that it can to remove the threat of something far worse happening to our water supply, both now and for future generations to come. Notably, the Proposed CD2 draft of Bill 48 proposes a much higher standard for protection than state law, and I urge the Committee to adopt its amendments. Accordingly, please PASS Bill 48 in CD2 form as proposed.
Mahalo nui for the opportunity to testify,
[your name]
How to testify on HB2514 and HB2274:
Head to our CapitolWatch page for more details, information on how to testify in support of the Red Hill bills in the state legislature, and sample testimony.