Mahalo to Senator Roz Baker, Representative Angus McKelvey and all those that wrote testimony.
We are delighted to announce that HB 1424 has passed through the Hawaii State House and Senate. All that is left is for the Governor to sign it into law which he says that he will. This bill will provide $20 million for Maui Land & Pineapple Company's pensioners' fund in exchange for ownership of Honolua Valley, Lipoa Point, Punalau, and all of the coastal land up to Honokohau Valley South cliffs that MLP owns. These 280 acres will become conservation lands and a type of State Park. Public access will be maintained, revitalization will occur, and the community will assist in the creation and implementation of the management plan.
We are working in partnership with Hawaiian Islands Land Trust, they have resources and the experience of managing lands such as these, and also the 'Aha Moku council of Ka'anapali Moku because they are traditional and generational practitioners of this area and have knowledge of the land to help and restore the ecosystem.
