Lawmakers Receive Superferry Legislation Draft

HONOLULU -- State lawmakers on Thursday received a proposal from Gov. Linda Lingle's Administration to let the Hawaii Superferry operate while the state goes through a more strict environmental study than was ordered by the courts.

Legislative leaders said there is support to get the ferry going again.

Attorney General Mark Bennett gave state senators a first draft of a bill to bail out the ferry.

It lets the ferry operate while the state does an environmental impact statement. It is more stringent than the currently required environmental assessment.

Senate President Colleen Hanabusa said the bill has to be improved and rewritten to include more immediate protections for the environment.

"There would have to be speed considerations in dealing with areas where there are whales, for example," she said.

House leaders also want more environmental protections.

"Like addressing the whales during the whale season, making sure we don't have coqui frogs, fire ants, or stinging caterpillars moving between the islands," Rep. Kirk Caldwell said.

Hanabusa said the Superferry must first reach out more to the public.

"They have been extremely insensitive to the situation," she said. "For us, we want to know how they want to help start mend the divisions within our community. Those are critical issues, and we have not heard from them."

The environmental impact statement asked for in the bill should not take too long. The state does not have to put out bids for the contract. It already has engineering and planning company Belt Collins Hawaii Ltd., which said it could do the work in about a year.

With more details to be worked out, lawmakers not expected to go into special session any earlier than Oct. 22.