Protecting Hawaii’s Water

Protecting Hawaii’s Water and Agricultural Lands: 2025 Legislative Agenda

This session, I’m prioritizing legislation to protect Hawaii’s critical resources: our water and agricultural lands. These efforts are vital to ensuring sustainability, food security, and cultural preservation.

Safeguarding Our Aquifers

I am championing legislation to ban landfills over aquifers, our primary source of drinking water. Landfills pose significant contamination risks, threatening the safety and sustainability of our water supply. Recent crises, such as the Red Hill fuel leak, illustrate how fragile and irreplaceable our aquifers are. This measure is a proactive step to safeguard Hawaii’s water resources for future generations.

Protecting Agricultural Lands from Speculative Misuse

Hawaii’s agricultural lands are under increasing pressure from foreign ownership, corporate consolidation, and speculative investments. These trends push local farmers off the land, undermine food security, and turn agricultural land into commodities instead of community resources. To address these issues, I’ve introduced three key bills:

1. Ban on Foreign Ownership
   Hawaii has the second-highest percentage of foreignheld agricultural land in the U.S., with 12.8% owned by foreign entities. This excessive foreign control limits access for local farmers and threatens the resilience of our food systems. This bill will prohibit foreign ownership of agricultural lands, ensuring these vital resources remain available to local farmers and communities.
2. Limits on Corporate Procurement
   Corporate ownership of agricultural lands often prioritizes profits over sustainable farming. Large-scale consolidation limits opportunities for small-scale farmers and Native Hawaiians seeking to reclaim ancestral lands. This bill imposes restrictions on corporate land acquisitions, preserving local control and prioritizing small-scale agriculture.
3. Conveyance Tax Surcharge
   Speculative trading of agricultural lands inflates prices and drives up costs for local farmers. To counter this, I am proposing a conveyance tax surcharge on the sale of agricultural lands. This measure discourages speculative transactions and generates revenue to support farming initiatives and land preservation.

Securing Local Food Systems

Small-scale, locally owned farms are the backbone of Hawaii’s agricultural economy. They preserve cultural traditions, reduce reliance on imports, and promote sustainable practices. Protecting agricultural lands from external control ensures these farms thrive, keeping resources in the community and supporting food security.

Aligning with Federal Priorities

These measures align with national efforts to address foreign land ownership’s impact on family farms and food security, as highlighted by the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act. Hawaii must take a leadership role in ensuring agricultural lands remain accessible to local farmers and free from speculative misuse.

Building a Resilient Future

Together, these initiatives protect our aquifers, secure agricultural lands, and promote sustainability. By prioritizing local control, we not only address immediate threats but also lay the groundwork for a resilient, self-reliant Hawaii. These efforts reflect our responsibility as stewards of the land and water, ensuring these precious resources remain a source of life and prosperity for generations to come.

I am really grateful to able to represent friends, neighbors, constituents who share my values, who care so deeply about that which sustains us.

Mahalo, Amy Perruso