Issue Position: Committed to Hawaii's Environment and Local Agriculture

Issue Position

Senator Dela Cruz believes that the State must make a solid commitment to ensure that native forests and agricultural lands will be around for now and for generations to come. Understanding the important role that native forests play in the State's water resources and economy, Senator made it one of his top priorities to generate and direct funding towards the preservation of these irreplaceable resources.

As the Chair of the Senate Committee on Water, Land, & Housing, Senator Dela Cruz was instrumental in ensuring that $2.5 million for the watershed initiative was allocated, to be expended on projects that include invasive species removal, construction and ongoing maintenance of fences, control of other forest threats, and restoration.

Senator Dela Cruz introduced Senate Bill 2378, which was passed, which requires any State agencies, counties, or non-profit land conservation organizations seeking funding through the Legacy Land Conservation Fund to acquire property, to provide a conservation or agricultural easement on the property acquired.

A notable land acquisition is the purchase of 1,723 acres of the Galbraith Estate, which will be under the management of the Agribusiness Development Corporation (ADC) that plans to place local farmers on the land. Senator Dela Cruz was instrumental in having $3.6 million allocated to ADC for FY12-13 to acquire and retrofit the Dole facilities located in Whitmore Village to become a modern agriculture processing and distribution hub for the region.

Further, Senator Dela Cruz had the sum of $750,000 for the plan and design phase included in the budget to set up the necessary infrastructure for a cost efficient water delivery system utilizing Lake Wilson as the primary irrigation source for agriculture on the Galbraith land. Senator's proposed project aims to provide an additional water source to the property thus, giving farmers greater access to water thereby increasing their production, reducing the cost of water and preserving drinking water, which at times reaches critical levels due to drought conditions which prevail occasionally.

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