(a) Any person who wants to obtain a lease for marine activities in state marine waters shall request a lease from the board at the time of filing an application.

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Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 190D-22

  • Application: means a conservation district use application. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 190D-3
  • Board: means the board of land and natural resources. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 190D-3
  • Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
  • Lessee: means the holder of a valid lease granted pursuant to this chapter. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 190D-3
  • Marine activities: means ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC); mariculture; and other energy or water research, scientific, and educational activities in, on, or under state marine waters, which are exclusive, non-transient in nature, and which occupy a discrete area of state marine waters. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 190D-3
  • State marine waters: means all waters of the State, including the water column, water surface, and state submerged lands, extending from the upper reaches of the wash of the waves on shore seaward to the limit of the State's police power and management authority, including the United States territorial sea, notwithstanding any law to the contrary. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 190D-3
(b) Upon receipt of a completed application and authorization of a lease, the board shall:

(1) Negotiate with and grant a lease to the applicant; or
(2) Conduct a public auction and grant the lease to the highest qualified bidder.

Public auctions shall be conducted in accordance with chapter 171. If an auction is held and the applicant submitting a completed application is not the highest qualified bidder, the board shall require the highest qualified bidder to indemnify the applicant for all legitimate costs incurred in the preparation of any environmental assessment or environmental impact statement included in the application pursuant to chapter 343 and the rules adopted thereunder. In establishing and following internal procedures for lease applications, the board shall attempt to minimize costs to those applicants submitting completed applications.

(c) The board shall not revoke or modify its approval of an application in such a way as to invalidate, impair, limit, or affect, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, the rights of a lessee as set forth in the lease granted to the lessee pursuant to this chapter.