Lanakila! Sovereign Status of Kaho‘olawe is Preserved

The  ‘Ohana is celebrating the continued sovereign status of Kanaloa Kaho‘olawe today, as a bill proposing to fold the management of the island into the DLNR failed in committee yesterday afternoon.

Senate Bill 3056 proposed to change Chapter 6K, the law that sets policy for the status and management of Kaho‘olawe, by having the Department of Land & Natural Resources provide oversight over the Kaho‘olawe Island Reserve Commission, KIRC.  A last-minute amendment offered to make the KIRC and DLNR co-partners.

The KIRC is a special commission set up in 1993 to assure that the island was separate from the DLNR inventory, that it belonged to the Hawaiian nation. The ‘Ohana has pointed out that the KIRC is already administratively attached to the DLNR, by virtue of its seat on the 7-member commission.

The ‘Ohana believes Chapter 6K is structurally sound, even hailed as model legislation around the U.S. and around the world.  It went through a rigorous and inclusive process between 1990 and 1993 before even becoming law.

With the failure of SB 3056 in committee, the special status is preserved.  The ‘Ohana will continue its care of, and for, Kanaloa Kaho‘olawe until we can pass her into the arms of a sovereign Hawaiian nation.

Mahalo to all–those who submitted testimony in advance and in person; to all the senators who care enough to want to improve the management, hear testimony and register a vote; to the 2012 legislative team who did a lot of homework this year; and to the kupuna who compel us to stay the course, and all who offered blessings and aloha throughout.

Imua na pua, lanakila, Kaho‘olawe !