Department of Land and Natural Resources

Q:  HOW DO I SUBMIT AN AGENDA ITEM FOR A BLNR MEETING?

A: 
All requests for agenda items must be submitted through the appropriate division of the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR). Requests should explain the subject matter and be sent to the appropriate division via email, letter, fax, or phone. Due to internal review procedures and other legal requirements, there can be some delay between the date of the request and the date of the meeting eventually considering the item.

Q:  HOW DOES THE SIGN-IN SHEET WORK?

A: 
On the day of the BLNR meeting, a sign-in sheet will be provided at a table located just outside the entrance to the Board Room for members of the public who are attending in person to sign in to present oral testimony on a particular agenda item. This sign-in sheet allows the Chair to determine a reasonable order of testifiers and to accommodate special requests for earlier testimony, should that be necessary. The sign-in sheet is removed approximately fifteen (15) minutes prior to the meeting to allow the Chair to re-order the agenda, as needed.

Q:  HOW DO I SUBMIT WRITTEN TESTIMONY OR PRESENT TESTIMONY BEFORE THE BLNR?

 A: 
To provide in-person testimony:

Attend live at 1151 Punchbowl St. Room 132 (Kalanimoku Building), Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Please arrive at least fifteen (15) minutes prior to the meeting start time in order to add your name to the sign-in sheet.

To provide video testimony:

Send your request via e-mail to [email protected]

Please include your name and the agenda item on which you would like to testify. Once your request has been received, you will receive an email with the “Zoom” link. Requests may also be made during the meeting, but we do appreciate advance notice, when possible.

To provide oral testimony by telephone:

See the relevant meeting agenda for dial-in information.

Public testimony will be taken when each agenda item is discussed.

For those not attending in person or via Zoom, the meeting can be monitored in real time or viewed afterwards via YouTube.com, where it is livestreamed at this link:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvFwARB6RhS5CLnaALNif3w

The Chair will call on testifiers to offer testimony at the appropriate time. When testifying, please state your first and last name for the record. If you are testifying on behalf of an organization, please identify the organization as well. 

Testimony will be limited to a maximum of three (3) minutes per person per agenda item.

For those testifiers not attending the BLNR meeting in person, please log into the meeting virtually using the Zoom link provided by the BLNR secretary. You will be placed in a Zoom “Waiting Room” until it is your turn to testify. You may monitor the meeting progress on YouTube using the link provided above. While waiting to provide testimony, please MUTE YOUR MICROPHONE and TURN OFF YOUR VIDEO. Just prior to your turn to speak, you will be given full access to the meeting. At that time, if you are watching the YouTube livestream, you will need to TURN OFF the livestream to avoid feedback caused by having the meeting open in both YouTube and Zoom at the same time. When you have finished testifying, you will be put back in the Zoom “Waiting Room.” Please stay there until your agenda item is complete in case the BLNR Members have questions for you.

To provide written testimony:

Interested persons can submit written testimony in advance of each meeting that will be distributed to BLNR Members prior to the meeting. Submit written testimony via email to [email protected] or via postal mail to the Board of Land and Natural Resources at P.O. Box 621, Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96809. We request written testimony be submitted no later than 24 hours prior to the scheduled meeting to ensure time for BLNR Member review. Late written testimony will be retained as part of the record and distributed to BLNR Members as soon as practicable, but we cannot ensure they will receive it with sufficient time for review prior to decision-making on the agenda item in question.

Q:  WHAT ARE THE PROCEDURES ON THE DAY OF THE BOARD OF LAND & NATURAL RESOURCES MEETING?

A:
BLNR meetings start at 9:00 AM. Chair will call the meeting to order, read a few preliminary statements, and announce the first agenda item. (Please note that the BLNR may take agenda items in a different order than they are written on the agenda.) When an agenda item is ready to be heard, Chair will first ask department staff to present the agenda item, summarizing the staff submittal. Then the applicant or the applicant’s representative will be given the opportunity to testify. Next, Chair will call on the public who have signed in to testify. Then Chair will ask if there are members of the public who did not sign up who would like to testify. After all members of the public have completed their testimony, Chair will call for a motion from the BLNR Members. If a motion is made and seconded, the BLNR Members may have a discussion on the agenda item before taking a full vote on the motion. After the full vote on the motion has been taken, Chair will call for the next item to be heard.

Q:  HOW DO I MAKE A REQUEST FOR A CONTESTED CASE HEARING?

A: 
Pursuant to Hawai‘i Administrative Rule (HAR) Section 13-1-29*, an oral or written request for a contested case hearing must be made prior to the close of either the public hearing (if required) or public meeting at which the matter is scheduled for disposition. In addition to the oral or written request, a written petition must be filed with the BLNR not later than ten days after the close of the public hearing or the BLNR meeting.** The written petition may be either hand-delivered or mailed to the Board of Land and Natural Resources, 1151 Punchbowl Street, Room 130, Honolulu, HI  96813.

*For a copy of the Rules of Practice and Procedure of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, see HAR Title 13 Chapter 1.

**The written petition to request a contested case hearing should be submitted using the following linked form: Contested Case Form.