HI HCR198

Requests the President of the United States to amend Executive Order 13089 to exempt maintenance and dredging activities in existing small boat and commercial harbors within Hawaii from coral reef protection requirements.

Emphasizes that 80 percent of goods consumed in Hawaii are imported through the state's commercial harbor system, making ocean transportation critical to the state's economy and all industries including tourism, construction, and national defense.

States that the Department of Transportation and Department of Land and Natural Resources must remove coral growth from harbor floors to prevent damage to vessel hulls and impeded traffic, but compliance with the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 and Executive Order 13089 has become burdensome.

Requires certified copies of the resolution to be transmitted to the President of the United States, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Hawaii's congressional delegation, the Board of Land and Natural Resources, and the Director of Transportation.