THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	83
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2015
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the department of transportation to conduct a study regarding the feasibility and cost of constructing a small commercial boat harbor and small commercial airport in south PUna.

 

 

     WHEREAS, Puna, on the Island of Hawaii, is an incredibly large district that is approximately the same size as the island of Kauai; and

 

     WHEREAS, Puna has the fastest growing population in the County of Hawaii; and

 

     WHEREAS, Puna, located near the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, is a popular tourist attraction and destination for ecotourism and personal development opportunities; and

 

     WHEREAS, many people in Puna will be cut off from supplies and services as a result of the lava threatening to cross Highway 130; and

 

     WHEREAS, in the Puna area, there are very few places to access the coast safely due to the jagged cliffs, and road infrastructure cannot be developed due to the extensive network of lava tubes; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Puna coast has the Pohoiki boat ramp, however, the ramp is not large enough to support commercial activity; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hilo Harbor is the closest commercial harbor to Puna; and

 

     WHEREAS, the closest commercial airport to Puna is Hilo Airport, a roundtrip that takes approximately six to eight hours to complete; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Transportation Harbors Division, is responsible for the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of state facilities for all modes of water transportation; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Transportation Airports Division, is responsible for the development, management, and maintenance of the State's global air transportation organization; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2015, that the Department of Transportation is requested to conduct a study regarding the feasibility and cost of constructing a small commercial boat harbor and small commercial airport in south Puna; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation report its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2016; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Transportation.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Department of Transportation; Commercial Boat Harbor; Commercial Airport; South Puna