County approval exemption bill grounded

The Maui News
Tuesday, June 05, 2007

HONOLULU – A bill to exempt airport projects from county planning approvals didn't take off this year at the Legislature.

After it passed first reading by the state House of Representatives in March, House Bill 416 failed to get a hearing in the Senate. The action introduced by Wailuku Rep. Joe Souki would have allowed the state Department of Transportation to proceed with airport improvements without getting special management area permits or other approvals now required by the county.

Sen. J. Kalani English, who represents East Maui, Upcountry, Molokai and Lanai, helped kill the bill by declining to bring it up for discussion in the Senate Transportation and International Affairs Committee, which he chairs.

"I don't think an exemption is the answer to issues at Kahului Airport," English said. "History tells us that the airport is a very sensitive issue and has to be approached with maximum public participation."

Souki said he proposed the bill in an attempt to speed up airport improvement projects. He noted state harbors are already exempt from special management area permits and maintained the rules should be the same for airports.

The county approval process is very slow, Souki said.

"I know some people were afraid we'd try to do the extension of the runway again, but that was not the idea," he said.

Souki said he planned to reintroduce the bill next year.

"Especially now as we're trying to get all the airports up to snuff, we can't be waiting forever," he said.

Copyright © 2005 The Maui News.

Original article URL: http://www.mauinews.com/story.aspx?id=30957

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