Bill Text: HI SR198 | 2024 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Requesting The Department Of Health To Carry Out Widespread Soil Testing In Lahaina And To Develop A Soil Remediation Plan.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-04-04 - Report and Resolution Adopted, as amended (SD 1). [SR198 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2024-SR198-Amended.html
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THE SENATE |
S.R. NO. |
198 |
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THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024 |
S.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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SENATE RESOLUTION
REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO CARRY OUT WIDESPREAD SOIL TESTING IN LAHAINA AND TO DEVELOP A SOIL REMEDIATION PLAN.
WHEREAS, in August 2023, Lahaina, on the island of Maui, experienced the fifth deadliest wildfire in United States history; and
WHEREAS, more than two thousand two hundred structures were damaged or destroyed in Lahaina and West Maui, eighty-six percent of which were residences; and
WHEREAS, high-intensity wildfires such as the wildfire experienced in Lahaina cause physical, chemical, and biological changes to the surrounding soil; and
WHEREAS, burned or melted building materials, furniture, plastics, and consumer electronics produce toxic substances that can also contaminate soil; and
WHEREAS, soil contamination caused by the August 2023 Maui wildfire may threaten human health, groundwater quality, ocean ecosystems, and food production; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2024, that the Department of Health is requested to:
(1) Sample and test the soil at numerous burn sites in Lahaina for toxins and contaminants;
(2) Develop a soil remediation plan for areas of Lahaina where soil contamination threatens human health, groundwater quality, ocean ecosystems, or food production;
(3) Assess the feasibility of using available technologies to separate clean soil from ash and toxins; and
(4) Submit a report of the Department's findings and recommendations, including the expected costs and estimated timeline for any needed soil remediation projects, and any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2025; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health is requested to seek funding for the development of the comprehensive soil remediation plan; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health and Mayor of the County of Maui.
DOH; Lahaina; West Maui; Wildfire; Soil Contamination; Report
