Agricultural land bill a betrayal of principle

Since when does giving away the farm equate to saving agriculture?
That's the farce our legislative leaders consider one of their
"accomplishments" this session.

Instead of important agricultural lands protection, the Legislature
gave us the "big-landowner big-payoff" bill. It greases the wheels for
large landowners to urbanize any 15 percent of their farm land, in
exchange for labeling 85 percent of their land as "important." The
"important" designation then grants landowners the privilege to feast
at the public trough on millions in tax credits.

Then what happens when the landowners feel the 85 percent portion
isn't so important anymore (or developing it is more important)? They
just ask to redesignate the land.

Think for a minute who, besides the landowners, benefits as farm land
is converted wholesale to developable land. The average kama'aina
can't afford the luxury developments invading rural Hawai'i. How does
a rural real-estate bonanza help local residents, let alone farmers?

The state Constitution in 1978 mandated the protection of important
agricultural lands. Thirty years later, the Legislature has twisted
this into a license for big landowners to fatten their wallets and
develop rural Hawai'i for the rich.

Future generations will end up paying for this betrayal of principle
and failure of vision.

Isaac Moriwake
Sierra Club, Hawai'i Chapter