BILLS THAT PASSED, OR FAILED, AT THE LEGISLATURE
Environment

Advertiser Staff

Bottle recycling
(HB 1256 HD2 SD2 CD1)
Imposes a nickel deposit on most bottles, cans and plastic beverage containers beginning in 2005. Those deposits would be refunded to consumers when the beverage containers are returned for recycling. The bill also phases in an additional charge of up to 1 1/2 cents per beverage container that the state Health Department would use to subsidize the recycling industry. When fully phased in, that charge would raise about $12 million a year, and would not be returned to consumers.

Shark feeding
(SB 2613 SD2 HD1 CD1)
Prohibits feeding of sharks as part of a commercial activity. Allows the feeding of sharks for traditional Hawaiian cultural or religious practices so long as it is not commercial.

Environmental promotion
(SB 3063 SD2 HD2 CD1)
Authorizes the Department of Land and Natural Resources to develop, or contract with private entities to produce environmentally-themed products — such as collectible stamps, credit cards, and coins — to be commercially sold to the public to increase revenues in the endangered species trust fund.

Cave protection
(SB 2898 SD2 HD2 CD1)
Sets fines and criminal penalties for disturbing or harming a cave or resources in the cave. Also prohibits disturbing a gate to a cave. Administrative fines are up to $10,000 for a first violation for each offense, up to $15,000 for a second offense, and up to $30,000 for a third offense. Criminal penalties include a fine of up to $1,000 for a first offense and up to $1,500 for subsequent offenses.

Alien invasive species
(HB 2212 HD1 SD2 CD1)
Establishes the Hawaii Invasive Species Council to coordinate efforts to control and eradicate alien invasive species.

State parks
(SB 2350 SD2 HD2 CD1)
Requires the Hawaii Tourism Authority to direct $1 million in hotel room tax collections toward support of natural resources such as state parks and trails.

Emergency environmental workforce
(SB 2900 CD1)
Appropriates $500,000 to continue the emergency environmental workforce program, which hired workers laid off after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to do short-term environmental fieldwork.

Coral reef protection
Would establish a network of statewide marine refuges or "pu'uhonua" under the management of the Department of Land and Natural Resources and establish a pu'uhonua committee to assist in the development and management of the network.

Litter
Would have raised criminal littering from a petty misdemeanor to a class C felony when the litter weighs at least 50 pounds.

Renewable energy
Would have established "green power" marketing programs for electricity generated from alternative sources.

Hydroelectric tax credit
Would provide for a tax credit of 20 percent of the total cost of a hydroelectric system erected and placed in service after Dec. 31, 2002 and before Jan. 1, 2011.

Pollution tax
Would have imposed a 25-cent-per-ton fee for carbon dioxide emissions on polluters, with the money collected to be used to plant trees to combat global warming.

Aquatic resources
Would expand the Department of Land and Natural Resources' authority to possess or use chemicals and electrofishing devices that would normally be unlawful when no other reasonable alternative is appropriate.