Senate Majority Caucus

By Hawaii State Senator Russell Kokubun
Chair, Hawai‘i 2050 Sustainability Task Force

In 2005, when the Hawai‘i State Legislature established the Hawai‘i 2050 Sustainability Task Force, the term “sustainability” was a catchy buzz word about saving our planet. Creating a long-range sustainability plan for our island state was met with some skepticism that this was a no-growth, environmentally-driven effort to keep our island green. At the time, the Hawai‘i economy was roaring; the price of a gallon of gasoline was $2.30; and Moloka‘i Ranch and Aloha Airlines were still in business. Life was relatively good, but on borrowed time. (more…)

Various businesses and organizations gathered on the fourth floor of the Capitol today for a farmer’s market and information fair as part of Agricultural Sustainability Day. Sen. Jill Tokuda, Agriculture and Hawaiian Affairs Committee chair, and Sen. Russell Kokubun, Commerce, Consumer Protection and Affordable Housing Committee chair, helped to organize the event, which donated its proceeds to Hawai`i Foodbank.

Mary Wilkowski, right, showcased vetiver plants ranging in age from two to five months at the fair. “Vetiver is the embodiment of sustainability,” Wilkowski said. “A sterile green nail, Vetiver’s dense, fibrous roots penetrate vertically to depths of 12’, holding soil in place, and ensuring that topsoil remains where it should—on the land.” Remarkably, the five-month-old plant had already reached a diameter of eight inches and displayed a beefy root system, she added.

Fairgoers examined some of Hawai`i’s invasive species, including snakes, tarantulas and coqui frogs, at the Department of Agriculture’s exhibit.

The fair educated lawmakers and the public on the importance of local agriculture. John Edney, left, and Cliff Kaholokula dished out Tropical Dreams Ice Cream on fruit dishes for those who attended the fair. Tropical Dreams, a Big Island company, bears the Department of Agriculture’s Seal of Quality, meaning that more than half of its ingredients are produced locally.

Big Island legislators Sen. Russell Kokubun and Sen. Lorraine Inouye will host “Legislators Listen” community meetings this Saturday and March 15. The events are also sponsored by seven Big Island representatives from the state House and will meet meet at various locations across the island. The legislators welcome community input.

Saturday, Feb. 23
8 to 9 a.m.–Laupahoehoe, Laupahoehoe High School Band Room
9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Honoka`a, North Hawai`i Education and Research Center
11 a.m. to noon–Waimea, North Hawai`i Community Hospital Conference Room
1 to 2 p.m.–North Kohala, Kohala Intergenerational Center
3 to 4 p.m.–Waikoloa, Waikoloa Village Golf Course Community Center
5 to 6 p.m.–Kealakekua, Kona Hospital Conference Room 2

Saturday, March 15
7:30 to 8:30 a.m.–Hilo, UH-Hilo, UCB 123
9 to 10 a.m.–Kea`au, Kea`au Elementary School Cafeteria
10:30 to 11:30 a.m.–Pahoa, Pahoa High School Cafeteria
12:30 to 1:30 p.m.–Volcano, Cooper Center
2:30 to 3:30 p.m.–Pahala, Ka`u Hospital Conference Room
4:30 to 5:30 p.m.–HOVE, Kahuku Park 

“It is the Task Force’s hope that this approach will guide all of us as we collectively determine the preferred long-term future of our state,” Sen. Russell Kokubun said.

Hawai`i has a new map for its future. This afternoon, state officials and legislators launched the Hawai`i 2050 Sustainability Plan, which calls each individual to act in the best interest of the state’s economy, environment, social well-being and culture.

“The informed and responsible person can determine what proucts and services are purchased, what kind of energy is used, how much water is consumed and how the environment is managed,” the plan says.

Charts and tables in the plan are based on more than 10,500 resident responses and give a detailed analysis of Hawai`i’s current conditions. 

The plan names these benchmarks to be completed by 2020:

1. Increase affordable housing opportunities for households up to 140 percent of median income
2. Strengthen public education
3. Reduce reliance on fossil fuels
4. Increase recycling, reuse and waste reduction strategies
5. Develop a more diverse and resilient economy
6. Create a sustainability ethic
7. Increase production and consumption of local foods and products, particulary agriculture
8. Provide access to long-term care and elderly housing
9. Preserve and perpetuate the Kanaka Maoli and island cultrual values

Senate Bill 2833 also passed review by the Senate’s Commerce, Consumer Protection and Affordable Housing Committee this morning. The bill names a number of issues that the Sustainability Plan will deal with, including Hawai`i’s deterioration of public infrastructure, lack of affordable housing, a threatened island ecosystem and vulnerability in a global energy market. The goal of the bill is to establish a council that will implement and evaluate the progress of the 2050 plan.

Sen. Russell Kokubun (D- Waiakea Uka, Kalapana, Volcano, Kahuku) introduced SB2833, which is part of the Senate Majority bill package. Kokubun also chairs the Sustainability Task Force, which includes Sens. Gabbard, Menor, Tokuda and formerly included Sens. Chun Oakland, Hooser and Hemmings.

Last night at 5:10 p.m., Majority Caucus Leader and Ways and Means Committee Vice Chair Shan Tsutsui (4 - Wailuku, Waihe`e, Kahului, Pa`ia, Lower Pa`ia), filed a mass transit accountability bill that was co-introduced by Senate Majority Leader Gary Hooser (7 - Kaua`i, Ni`ihau), Transportation and International Affairs Committee Chair J. Kalani English (6 - Hana, East and Upcountry Maui, Moloka`i, Lana`i and Kaho`olawe) and Commerce, Consumer Protection and Affordable Housing Chair Russell Kokubun (2 - Waiakea Uka, Kalapana, Volcano, Kahuku). The bill was co-sponsored by Senate President Colleen Hanabusa.

Senate Bill 3213 requires the city and county of Honolulu to make a decision by June 30, 2008, on the technology of the fixed guideway system for the locally preferred alternative for a mass transit project, or the surcharge to fund the project shall be suspended effective July 1, 2008, for that county; requires the county by December 31, 2008, to award any related contracts for the technology of the fixed guideway system for the locally preferred alternative for a mass transit project, or return any unexpended moneys to the State for deposit into the state highway fund; authorizes expenditures from the fund, as deemed appropriate by the legislature, for transportation projects in the county for which the surcharge was collected.
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What do you like like about the draft Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Plan? What don’t you like? What’s missing? What could be improved? Tell us what you think at a Hawaii 2050 community meeting on your island.

It’s as easy as 1-2-3…1) Download the draft plan from www.hawaii2050.org and read it 2) come to a meeting listed below 3) let us know your thoughts on the draft Plan at the meeting.

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The draft Hawai’i 2050 Sustainability Plan is now open for public review and comment!

We want to hear from you about the plan - what you like, what you
don’t like, what makes sense, what’s missing, and what could be improved.  Hawai’i 2050 is a citizen-based planning process that builds upon the wisdom and desires of our communities. It is designed to be the “People’s Plan”. (more…)

By Honolulu Advertiser Writers Will Hoover and Treena Shapiro

The purpose of the Hawai’i 2050 Sustainability Summit in Waikiki yesterday morning was to unveil the long-awaited draft plan — compiled after more than a year of community gatherings by the state sustainability task force — designed to chart a viable and lasting course for the Islands over the next four decades. Continue Reading

This article was printed on Sunday, September 23, 2007, in the Honolulu Advertiser.

By Hawaii State Senator Russell Kokubun 

David Shapiro’s Aug. 22 column (”Sustainability panel creates own roadblock”) misses the point of the statewide public opinion poll commissioned by the Hawai’i 2050 Sustainability Task Force and the work of the task force itself.

The poll was designed to help the task force gauge the public’s attitudes toward sustainability and our long-term future. Sustainability is a complex, multi-dimensional issue, and we needed an in-depth, objective poll that examined a variety of issues. (more…)

By Honolulu Advertiser Government Writer Treena Shapiro

A recent survey of 2,000 Hawai’i residents showed a majority care about the environment so much that they’re willing to pay more to protect it.

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By Treena Shapiro
Honolulu Advertiser Government Writer

In a state particularly vulnerable to fuel shortages, shipping problems and sea-level rises, a task force is hoping to come up with a long- (more…)

Senate President Colleen Hanabusa today announced that three state senators will voluntarily shift their committee assignments for the next legislative session, and a new committee will be created.        

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Dear Senator Hanabusa,

On behalf of the members of the Hawaii Farm Bureau, I would like to extend our gratitude to you and the Legislature for several of the   (more…)

By Hawaii State Senator Russell Kokubun

I have been deeply impressed with the sustainability essays by high school students that ran in last week’s Advertiser. With clear thinking (more…)

  In response to state-wide concerns regarding residential development on designated agriculture lands, the Senate Committees on Water, Land and Agriculture and Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, heard testimony on SB 3097 on February 22nd. The bill, introduced by Senator Russell Kokobun, calls for counties to standardize requirements for building homes on state ag land and grandfathers in existing dwellings and previously authorized projects.