HI SB3107

Establishes a Kauai Air Tourism Working Group within the Department of Transportation to develop a voluntary pilot program addressing excessive noise from tour aircraft on Kauai.

Working group shall identify negatively impacted areas, use noise modeling and mapping to determine appropriate flight paths and altitudes, and recommend a state-sponsored tracking system similar to the Los Angeles helicopter noise initiative.

Working group shall explore methods to encourage air tourism businesses to use automatic dependent surveillance-broadcasts (ADS-B) accessible to the public, including tax credits and fee increases for leased lands.

Working group membership includes representatives from the Department of Transportation (chair), Department of Land and Natural Resources, Hawaii Tourism Authority, and invited members from helicopter associations, visitor bureaus, environmental organizations, residents, and affected communities.

Working group must report findings and recommendations to the legislature no later than twenty days before the 2022 regular session; appropriates $250,000 for fiscal year 2020-2021 to hire a consultant with experience in geographic information systems, noise analysis, and aircraft technology.