State Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz, one of the driving forces behind the Public Land Development Corp., said Tuesday he would be open to a repeal of the law because of what he believes is inconsistent implementation.
Dela Cruz said that the PLDC, the development arm of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, has not done anything definitive in the year since it was created to establish itself as an entity poised to develop significant projects. He said that he and other lawmakers had to help craft a strategic plan and a public information strategy for the PLDC.
The senator has also urged the PLDC’s five-member board to develop criteria to annually evaluate the performance of Lloyd Haraguchi, its executive director.
"We’re not talking about projects; we’re talking about organization. So the fact that the Public Land Development Corp. has not been able to organize, has not been able to develop an operational strategy is disturbing," said Dela Cruz (D, Wheeler-Wahiawa-Schofield).
Asked whether he would call for a repeal, the senator said, "I think at this point, until they can prove that this idea can be properly implemented, then maybe that has to be put on the table."
William Aila, the DLNR director, who also serves on the PLDC’s board, said the Abercrombie administration and the PLDC would like the opportunity to work with all parties to try to resolve concerns. "I don’t think that a repeal is necessary at this point," he said.
Other sources, speaking privately, say that overwhelming opposition to the PLDC from environmentalists and from some Native Hawaiian and labor interests has caused the administration to reconsider and "slow down" implementation. Rather than adopt the new draft of the PLDC’s administrative rules or take the rules out for additional public hearings on the neighbor islands, the PLDC and the administration will likely meet with those who have been critical of the rules process and the law.
Sources also say that Dela Cruz and other lawmakers contributed to the public skepticism about the PLDC by not doing enough to inform people about the concept when the idea moved through the Legislature in 2011.
"The PLDC’s purpose is to fund new schools, recreational facilities and operations by using public lands for public purposes that otherwise may not have had sufficient funding," Gov. Neil Abercrombie said in a statement. "The PLDC was drafted by the Legislature in order to address these longstanding issues. If legislators have received concerns and plan to address it this upcoming session, then that is their prerogative and obligation.
"At the end of the day, it is the creation of the Legislature and the Legislature can decide its future."
