This is not a position of the Democratic Party. The Environmental Caucus supports repeal of Act 55 which created the Public Land Development Corporation.
The PLDC has the authority to sell State land and enter into long term leases on ceded land that is protected by the Constitution with no public oversite. The PLDC can over ride the land management initiatives of the DLNR essentially turning DLNR into a real estate development agency. The PLDC projects are excempt from any environment, Hawaiian Cultural and even County planning, building code and zoning regulations. PLDC. at their discretion may hold one public hear on a project. The may enter into a public/private partnership to facilitate any project without going to bid.
Supporters of Act 55 claim that the short commings of Act 55 can be corrected in the Rules developed by the PLDC to guide its operations. In fact, only the law matters.
Senator Solomon introduced the legislation in the Senate that creating Act 55. Now she is blocking all efforts to repeal this terrible legislation.
This introduction is authored by Bill Sager. The following is thanks to Hawaii Thousand Friends:
ACTION NEEDED
Friday 2/2/13 on the Senate floor, Senator Malama Solomon, Chair of the Water and Land Committee, said that she will not hold a hearing on any of the Senate repeal PLDC bills, and that she will wait to see what crosses over from the House.
The problem with this strategy is: if a House repeal PLDC bill crosses over to the Senate but no Senate repeal PLDC bill crosses over to the House, the Senate committee chair can choose to not hold a hearing on any House repeal PLDC bill or can hold a hearing but not have a vote on the bill, thus making a repeal PLDC bill – dead on arrival.
Act NOW.
Contact Senate President Donna Mercado Kim senkim@Capitol.hawaii.gov
and also contact your Senators and let them know you want the Senate to hear bills that will repeal PLDC.
List of all Senate repeal PLDC bills :
SB 1 – Introduced by Hee
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2013/bills/SB1_.htm
SB 245 – Introduced by L. Thielen, Baker, Ihara, Ruderman, Slom
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=245
SB 338 – Introduced by Keith-Agaran, Baker, English
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=338
SB 480 – Introduced by English
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2013/bills/SB480_.htm
SB 663 – Introduced by Green, Ruderman
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=663
SB 780 – Introduced by Slom
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=780
SB 958 – Introduced by Kim
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=958
Environmental Caucus 