Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 10, Number 3, 1 March 1993 — Kahoʻolawe legislation would restrict island's use [ARTICLE]

Kahoʻolawe legislation would restrict island's use

by Jeff Clark Gov. John Waihe'e's Administration has submitted a pair of bills to the Legislature whieh, if enacted, will set conditions as to the use of Kaho'olawe after it is returned to the state. The bills were scheduled to be heard Feb. 15 in a joint HouseSenate hearing. House Bill 2015 (Senate Bill 1744) would designate Kaho'olawe an island reserve and establish a five-member commission to oversee policy and management of the island. The bills state that Kaho'olawe "shall be

used solely and exclusively for the purposes of preserving and practicing all rights, customarily and traditionally exercised for cultural, spiritual and subsistence practices; the preservation and protection of its archeological, historical and environmental resources; rehabilitation, revegetation, habitat restoration and preservation; and education." The island's use would be restricted to these purposes forever: commercial use of Kaho'olawe will be forbidden. Kaho'olawe will be transferred to the sovereign Hawaiian nation when such a nation is formed and

recognized by Congress and the state, according to the bills. Membership on the Kaho'olawe island reserve commission will comprise one member from the Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana, one from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and one selected by the govemor from nominations made by Hawaiian organizations. The other two members will be the Maui planning director and the chair of the state Board of Land and Natural Resources. OHA trustee A. Frenchy DeSoto, a member of the Kaho'olawe Island Conveyance Commission (KICC), called the

legislation "a milestone. I'm very happy with that. It signals a milestone for the Hawaiian eommunity and the community at large. The indication we get talking to legislators is that they support its passage, whieh makes me very happy." "Kaho'olawe will set another precedent fotr Hawaiian sovereignty," Protect Kaho'olawe 'Ohana member and KICC eommissioner Dr. Noa Emmett Aluli said in response to the bill's introduction. "This bill will eommit the State of Hawai'i to repatriate a first significant portion of the government lands of the

Kingdom of Hawai'i to a reestablished Hawaiian nation. Ultimately, we seek the transfer of most of the crown and government lands to a sovereign Hawaiian entity." DeSoto said she expected the commission's final report to be approved by commissioners during the KICC's Feb. 17 meeting. "The commissioners are really pleased with the work of the staff and our consultants. The commissioners and staff have developed a legacy for Hawai'i's children."