HI SR29

Department of Land and Natural Resources requested to conduct a needs assessment on the feasibility and effectiveness of establishing a Division of Ocean and Coastal Management.

Proposed division would serve as the designated state coastal management agency responsible for implementing Hawaii's coastal zone management program and directly regulating coastal resources including coastal waters, tidelines, beaches, and beach dune systems.

Division would consider ecological, cultural, aesthetic, recreational, scenic, and open space values, along with public access, coastal hazards, and sea level rise in coastal management decisions.

Division would manage coral reef networks, identify management gaps in nearshore ecosystem protection, and address effects of sea level rise, given that 70 percent of Hawaiian beaches are experiencing coastal erosion.

Department must submit findings, recommendations, and any proposed legislation to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the 2022 Regular Session convenes.