Star-Bulletin / March 2002
The Star Princess moored at Pier 2 last year. A bill in the Legislature would regulate where cruise ships could discharge waste, but proponents fear the measure is being shelved.
Cruise bill may Legislation to regulate wastewater discharge from cruise ships in Hawaii waters has stalled in the Senate, frustrating environmental groups and the bill's sponsor, who blames the inaction on politics.
stall in Senate
A Maui lawmaker says
politics are killing a bill
limiting discharge
from the ships
Associated PressA similar measure in the House appears headed for the shelf because the chairman of the Transportation Committee doesn't think it's necessary.
The bills would ban discharge of waste from the luxury liners, treated or untreated, until ships are at least four nautical miles beyond waters less than 600 feet deep. They also ban dumping in the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary and Penguin Banks that extend southwest of Molokai, a popular fishing area.
Sen. J. Kalani English, who introduced the bill in the Senate, said he had asked Senate President Robert Bunda to have the measure directly referred to the Energy and Environment Committee, which English chairs. But Bunda (D, Kaena-Wahiawa-Pupukea) instead referred the bill jointly to English's committee and the Transportation Committee chaired by Sen. Cal Kawamoto (D, Waipahu).
"I sent (Kawamoto) a memo asking him to please hear the bill or at least give me his reasons for not hearing it," said English (D, East Maui-Lanai-Molokai). "He hasn't responded at all."
Unless both chairs agree to hear the bill, it effectively dies for the session.
"The president based (his decision) on politics," English said. "The subject matter -- effluent discharge -- is solely under my committee's jurisdiction. I want to hear this bill. This is something that's very important to my district."
English's district includes Molokai, where community groups have protested plans to allow cruise ships to dock off Kaunakakai without an environmental assessment. Two previous attempts by the Holland America's Statendam to stop at Molokai were canceled by bad weather. The next stop is scheduled for April 15.
The bills use boundaries agreed upon in a memorandum of understanding signed in October by the state and the North West CruiseShip Association.
The House measure passed two committees last week and was then referred jointly to the transportation and tourism committees.
The Transportation Committee chairman, Rep. Joe Souki (D, Waihee-Wailuku) said he is convinced the cruise ship industry doesn't need more restrictions than those outlined by the memorandum signed last fall.
"The MOU (memorandum of understanding) was just signed several months ago, and I want to give it some time to see if it works," Souki said. "In many respects, the MOU is much tougher than the law that has been proposed. I think, in good faith, we should see whether it can work."
English was not alone in his frustration.
"It's terrible that one or two individuals can call the shots for a 76-member body," said Jeff Mikulina, director of the Sierra Club's Hawaii chapter.
