Rep. Thielen Takes Action on Kailua Beach

As first reported in this blog awhile back, KHON News confirmed that Rep. Cynthia Thielen will in fact introduce legislation to stop new houses on Kailua Beach from being built any closer to the ocean than the older homes they would be replacing.

She's asking for a two-year freeze to allow the State Dept. of Land and Natural Resources to come up with a comprehensive shoreline management plan that would take into account projected sea level rise and beach erosion. Why? Because things like shoreline setbacks are currently left up to the county councils. And our do-nothing Honolulu City Council has been MIA on important issues like this, rail, and B&Bs.

Click here for the KHON News story link.

I applaud Rep. Thielen's efforts. However, I believe it underscores the need to create a joint Counties/State Task Force to address the big picture, which includes beach access as well. What we really need is a Hawaii Coastal Commission that would have authority to make and enforce state-wide shoreline management standards -- not just "guidelines" as is the case right now.

Here's another reason why we need a Hawaii Coastal Commission: the Honolulu Advertiser article on Sat., Jan. 24, about a Kauai woman who was literally RUN OVER by a truck driving on the beach! Turns out each county has their own rules for that too. Sheesh. That's stupid -- and dangerous.