Issue Position: Environment

Issue Position

Create state-of-the-art website for environmental impact statement resources so people can easily weigh in on important projects.

Protect agricultural lands and water resources.

Invest in clean, renewable energy that fits the area's needs.

Preserving open space and investing in shoreline rehabilitation.

Implement policies to reduce and or eliminate invasive species.

Environmental stewardship and economic prosperity go hand-in-hand. Throughout my time in the legislature I've favored legislation to protect our environment and ensure Hawai"i stays on its goal of becoming fossil fuel free by 2045. Our islands are among the most important gifts we have a duty to leave them to our children better off than when we found them. One of the ways I have found that we can continue stewarding our environment is by creating an environmental impact statement website to give residents an easy and intuitive way to search for major projects around our islands. And once this website is implemented, we shouldn't stop from increasing transparency and including the public in the decision making process in other areas of the environment. I also will do everything in my power to ensure the State boldly leads in the country by protecting our agricultural lands, water resources, and sticks to our timeline of becoming fossil free by 2045.

We can and should work with economists and the environmental community to maintain and preserve the natural environment that makes Hawai'i such a special place to live. We must lead the way for clean energy solutions in Hawai'i in order to reap the economic benefits of environmental progress and achieve our mission of protecting Hawai"i's fragile environment.

Watching the situation unfold surrounding Mauna Kea it is clear that there is a strong disconnect between the State and the public in the process for approving projects like the Thirty Meter Telescope. There is an obvious flaw in the current process. Often, community members never know that an extensive project like the TMT or the Kahuku windmills are in the pipeline until the period for submitting public comment or filing Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) lawsuits is over. I drafted and submitted legislation this year that would have required the State to overhaul its EIS website and information to make it more user friendly and ensure people could search for projects in their area or by topic (e.g. a user could search by "Oahu North Shore" or "windmills") and allow them to sign up for email notifications so they are aware of new projects. This bill was moving through the legislative process until the capitol was shut down due to COVID-19. This is much needed legislation that I plan to introduce again next legislative session. A law like this would effectively give people a stronger, more proactive voice in the decision making during the process, instead of learning about projects after they have been finalized.

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