S.R. 132 Summary

• Urges all applicable state agencies to coordinate with stakeholders, including the Honolulu Harbor Users Group, to assess risks of aquatic invasive species to Hawaii and develop mitigation strategies before new federal standards take effect in 2022.

• Identifies vessel ballast water and biofouling as primary vectors for introducing aquatic invasive species, accounting for more than half of non-native marine species introductions to Hawaii.

• References the federal Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA), signed December 4, 2018, which requires the EPA and Coast Guard to establish federal standards and regulatory framework within four years for vessel discharges including ballast water and hull biofouling.

• Requests the Department of Land and Natural Resources and Department of Transportation Harbors Division to submit reports on their findings and recommendations, including proposed legislation, no later than twenty days before the regular legislative sessions in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

• Notes Hawaii's nearshore marine environments support an estimated $4 billion in annual gross revenue through tourism, aquaculture, and fisheries industries, making invasive species prevention critical to economic and environmental protection.