Facing a storm of criticism, Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie is deferring action on pending rules for a new state entity that would help to develop public lands to raise state revenues.
Abercrombie said his administration wants to fully take into consideration the public testimony across the state about the creation of the Public Land Development Corp.
He said he wants to listen to suggestions from various groups on how the law could be implemented to establish the state agency.
"What we’re hoping is … they might take a second look," he said.
Tim Tybuszewski, Oahu co-chairman of the Surfrider Foundation, said his group is happy about the postponement and opposes the sale of public lands to fix economic problems.
"Once you sell it, it’s gone," he said.
Abercrombie said he was bound by law to implement rules creating the new entity.
The law mandating the agency was passed by the state Legislature in 2011 and supported by Abercrombie’s administration.
"I have asked the PLDC board to postpone any meeting dates and adoptive actions until those concerns are fully taken into consideration," Abercrombie announced at a news conference at his office Friday.
Abercrombie said he has asked state Board of Land and Natural Resources Chairman William Aila to meet with stakeholders to look at their criticisms of the administrative rules and the rule-making process.
The governor said his administration will do its best to lessen public worries about the creation of the state entity, but lawmakers will ultimately be the ones to decide its future.
He said one of the reasons for the opposition to the new law is because some people feel they did not participate in the process in its passage.
"We want to make sure that everybody feels they have been heard," he said.
"We’ll just have to see what comes out of this."
Abercrombie said that as the head of the executive branch of government, he was bound to carry out the law passed by the state Legislature.
Lawmakers formed the state entity to develop state lands, with the intent of generating revenues for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources through public-private partnerships.
Abercrombie said the state faces problems with the lack of land enforcement personnel and a way to develop schools for the 21st century.
Aila said the talks with various "stakeholders" might help to clarify their opposition to certain rules.
For instance, he might ask a group opposed to development of conservation land whether it opposed conservation land in protected subzone areas or in less sensitive general subzone areas.
Aila said it might make sense to develop dwellings on conservation land in general subzone areas.
Groups involved in the talks include labor unions, the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Farm Bureau, Sierra Club, the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs and the Surfrider Foundation, he said.
The outreach could take a month or two, Aila said.
The PLDC’s board has run into considerable opposition to the rules by groups who fear the entity will bypass established processes of land and environmental review. The Kauai and Hawaii County Councils have passed resolutions calling for its repeal, and state Senate President Shan Tsutsui has said the law should be repealed or reined in.
Earlier this week, state Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz, one of the driving forces behind the agency, said he would be open to a repeal of the law because of what he believes is inconsistent implementation.
