I respectfully submit this comment in opposition to Bill 1 (2026) and incorporate by reference my attached written testimony. As explained in greater detail therein, this bill is not a minor procedural adjustment but a substantive policy change that reverses long-standing water-first planning by allowing subdivision construction plans to advance without verified long-term water availability. The proposal shifts practical risk from applicants to the County and the public, creates a pathway for speculative entitlements and resale without water certainty, and diverts limited capacity away from completing existing approved projects and rebuilding Lahaina. For these reasons, I urge the Committee to defer or file this measure unless it is substantially narrowed and conditioned to protect water resources and the public interest.
See attached
I respectfully submit this comment in opposition to Bill 1 (2026) and incorporate by reference my attached written testimony. As explained in greater detail therein, this bill is not a minor procedural adjustment but a substantive policy change that reverses long-standing water-first planning by allowing subdivision construction plans to advance without verified long-term water availability. The proposal shifts practical risk from applicants to the County and the public, creates a pathway for speculative entitlements and resale without water certainty, and diverts limited capacity away from completing existing approved projects and rebuilding Lahaina. For these reasons, I urge the Committee to defer or file this measure unless it is substantially narrowed and conditioned to protect water resources and the public interest.