Fighting Climate Change Will Cost The State Millions
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources says money is urgently needed to protect beaches, watersheds, native species and more.
Fighting the effects of climate change comes with a price tag.
Hawaii lawmakers will be considering over the next few months how much of the state鈥檚 $34 billion biennium budget should be spent on a litany of issues facing the islands as a result of global warming.
Rising sea levels are eroding prime money-making beaches, including Waikiki on Oahu and Kaanapali on Maui. Wildfires are costing more to control. And feral goats and pigs are threatening freshwater supplies, native habitats and the recovery of endangered species.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources is asking the Legislature to approve to continue ongoing initiatives and beef up other areas related to climate change.
Director Suzanne Case presented her department鈥檚 case for additional funding Thursday before the House Finance Committee, chaired by Rep. Sylvia Luke, though she dipped out after opening the meeting and let Vice Chair Ty Cullen run the show.
Contact Key Lawmakers
House Finance Chair Sylvia Luke
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Senate Ways and Means Chair
Donovan Dela Cruz鈥
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Senate Water and Land Chair
Kai Kahele鈥
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House Energy and Environmental Protection Chair
Nicole Lowen
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House Water, Land and Hawaiian Affairs Chair Ryan Yamane
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Senate Agriculture and Environment Chair Mike Gabbard
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Lawmakers will be balancing these funding requests against a laundry list of other pressing needs facing the state, such as homelessness and public education. But land officials highlighted how many impacts of climate change affect all of the state鈥檚 1.4 million residents and the soaring number of visitors.
DLNR already receives less than 1 percent of the state鈥檚 overall budget. For fiscal year 2020, which starts July 1, the department鈥檚 total budget request is $171.3 million, which is about a 7.6 percent increase and includes about 1,000 positions. For FY 2021, DLNR is seeking $168.8 million, about 6 percent more than this year.
And that鈥檚 only what Gov. David Ige agreed to include in his budget that he submitted in December to the Legislature. DLNR asked for much more, but its requests were whittled down to balance the overall spending plan.
When it comes to money directly relating to climate change, DLNR wants to keep Hawaii鈥檚 fledgling running for starters.
Funding lapses in June for its sole coordinator position, currently filled by Anukriti Hittle.
The 20-member commission, which the Legislature created in 2017, has started to gain traction. It completed a monumental sea level rise report that shows how more than $20 billion in coastal buildings and roads are threatened by rising seas and increased flooding in the coming years. Now, the commission is looking at how it can put that science into management decisions.
And on Monday, the commission held the inaugural Hawaii Climate Conference, an all-day event at the East-West Center featuring expert panels and speakers.
The department is asking for $65,000 to $75,000 annually to make the climate coordinator position permanent and another $110,000 for planning and administration costs for the commission.
Sam Lemmo, who heads DLNR鈥檚 that oversees the commission鈥檚 work, said the work that鈥檚 being done would be 鈥渟everely impacted鈥 if lawmakers don鈥檛 approve the funding.
He said it鈥檚 possible the effort would be picked up by some other entity if money isn鈥檛 appropriated, but it鈥檚 unclear who would take it up.
The House has the first stab at the overall budget, which it’s expected to draft by March and then send over to the Senate. The final differences will be negotiated in April before the legislative session wraps up May 4.
DLNR is also asking for $5.6 million in fiscal 2020 and $5 million in 2021 for watershed protection statewide.
鈥淚mmediate action is needed to secure Hawaii鈥檚 water supply,鈥 DLNR says in its budget request. 鈥淗otter, drier conditions and damaged watersheds are escalating the costs and conflicts over water.鈥
The money largely goes toward fencing that keeps hooved animals 鈥 goats, pigs, deer 鈥 out of forests and other areas important to Hawaii鈥檚 freshwater supply. The animals eat native vegetation and root around, loosening soil and increasing erosion.
Some lawmakers expressed concern over DLNR doing aerial eradication 鈥 shooting goats from helicopters 鈥 in some areas, particularly the west side of Oahu.
Rep. Cedric Gates, whose district includes Waianae, said some of his constituents had complained and that it had become quite a controversy.
Brian Nielsen, of the Division of Aquatic Resources, said the department has heard those concerns and worked to increase hunting seasons for residents and stopped shooting in certain areas.
But he said the environmental threat posed by thousands of goats remains serious and some aerial shooting will continue in remote areas that are hard to access otherwise.
鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing unprecedented amounts of erosion out there,鈥 he said.
Gates was also worried about wildfires on the west side.
DLNR has asked for $300,000 for fire and emergency response because the cost of controlling wildland fires is trending upward with climate change. The Division of Forestry and Wildlife is responsible for 1 million acres of forested watershed (25 percent of the land in Hawaii) and works with the feds and counties for another 30 percent.
鈥淲ildfire is increasing with climate change,鈥 Case told lawmakers.
Rep. Nadine Nakamura, whose district includes the north and east side of Kauai, asked Case what鈥檚 being done about the rise of rapid ohia death, a fungal disease that has destroyed native forests on the Big Island and recently spread to the Garden Isle.
Some effects of climate change, such as stronger storms and more hurricanes, make it easier for such diseases to spread.
The governor鈥檚 budget included $500,000 to help DLNR respond to rapid ohia death. The department had wanted another $1.25 million for research and outreach about rapid ohia death but Ige did not include it in his request.
The restoration of beaches, a fundamental part of life in Hawaii and crucial to the visitor-based economy, was a big-ticket item in DLNR鈥檚 proposed budget.
Ige wants to add $10.4 million in fiscal 2021, including $3 million in private contributions, for the Waikiki Beach Master Plan improvements.
The Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands has completed a draft environmental assessment to replace the Royal Hawaiian groin at Waikiki Beach, and used hotel tax revenues to initiate a major project to conduct beach improvements at Waikiki Beach.
Case and her division heads will be making a similar budget pitch Friday morning before the Senate Ways and Means Committee, headed by Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz.
See the full presentation below.
