HONOLULU -- State senators killed a bill calling for the Hawaii Superferry operators to do a full environmental review before they could proceed. The review is a lengthy process, which ferry executives said would have sunk the project.

Hawaii Superferry service between the islands is expected to begin in early 2007.

Maui environmentalists, the Maui mayor, Kauai Council and other businesses and individuals had urged lawmakers to make the Superferry undergo a full environmental review. That could take up to 18 months.

"Simply put the enactment of this measure will cause an immediate failure of the project," Hawaii Superferry Chief Executive Officer John Garibaldi said.

Garibaldi said unless all permits are in place by June 30, financing arrangements will collapse.

The state said the Superferry doesn't have to do an environmental impact statement because it will be using existing harbor facilities exactly as they were intended to be used. They also said that other harbor users such as cruise ships don't have to do environmental impact statements either.

Environmentalists expressed concerns that the ferry might bring alien species to the other islands and crowd tight dock space.

"I think there is need for some legislative statement that the public deserves the opportunity to have a comments and to have disclosure as to what is intended," said John Harrison, of the University of Hawaii Environmental Center.

The Senate Transportation Committee said an EIS is unnecessary because the ferry requires only minor harbor modifications and company officials are already working to address community concerns.