FILE - Contractors conduct monitoring operations at tank seven during tank tightness testing at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility on June 28, 2023.(U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Sarah Stegall / Department of Defense) It's been almost 2.5 years since fuel-contaminated water turned the lives of thousands of families on the Navy water system upside down. More than 90,000 people relocated to hotels after fuel from underground tanks at Red Hill got into their tap water in fall 2021. A federal court trial starts Monday for military families seeking damages against the federal government for exposure ..read more

FILE - Sen. Jarret Keohokalole recommends deferring Senate Bill 2922 on April 25, 2024.(Hawaiʻi State Senate / Youtube) A controversial measure to keep Hawaiian Electric in good financial standing after the Maui wildfires has died in the state Senate. The bill would have allowed HECO to issue ratepayer-backed bonds — a process called securitization — to fund wildfire mitigation efforts. If it had passed, it could have resulted in a rate increase for HECO customers. State Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole originally introduced the Senate version of the bill on behalf of HECO. He was also the one to ann ..read more

Rep. Luke Evslin and Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole pose with Lahaiana Strong members after the short-term rental bill passed out of conference committee. (Ashley Mizuo / HPR) There was cheering and tears of joy in the state Capitol conference room after a measure that would give counties more regulatory power over short-term rentals passed out of a key committee. It’s one of the last major hurdles of the legislative process. Lahaina Strong, an advocacy group of Maui fire survivors, filled the room to hear the committee’s vote. Paele Kiakona, one of the group's co-organizers, said getting a better ..read more

The 20th and final train for Skyline arrived at Honolulu Harbor on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. The train's four cars will be transported to the Rail Operations Center.(Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation) All 20 trains for the Honolulu rail, officially called Skyline, are now on Oʻahu. The final train arrived at Honolulu Harbor on Wednesday. By Thursday night, two of the train's four cars will be at the Rail Operations Center. The last two will be hauled there on Friday. Of the 19 trainsets already delivered, 12 are fully tested and have been turned over to the Honolulu Department of Tr ..read more

Sen. Lorraine Inouye defends the Senate's position that the amendment to HB2690 adding language on Water Commission reform is relevant. Inouye is the Senate Chair for the Conference Committee on the measure.( Hawaiʻi Senate) A legislative proposal to create more independence for the state Water Commission is receiving pushback from House members in conference committee. House Bill 2690 was initially aimed to address remediation efforts in the wake of Red Hill’s fuel contamination, but senators later amended the bill to include language addressing the needs of the Water Commission. Disagreement ..read more

Kim Coco Iwamoto, right, with The Conversation host Catherine Cruz at Hawaiʻi Public Radio.(Kim Coco Iwamoto) A bill at the state Legislature, HB 2653, to create an estate tax break has support from many of Hawaiʻi's largest companies. Critics of the bill say it helps the rich and decreases tax revenue for social services. House Speaker Scott Saiki introduced the measure. His opponent in this year's election, Kim Coco Iwamoto, opposes the measure. Iwamoto spoke to The Conversation about the $53 million in revenue the state would lose from passing HB 2653. She also shared her perspective as an ..read more

Wildfire wreckage is shown Friday, Aug. 11, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaiʻi. (Rick Bowmer / AP) While communities are still dealing with the aftermath of the Maui wildfires, the state Legislature is considering a measure to address property damage in the case of future catastrophic wildfires. The measure would allow stakeholders to pay into a wildfire relief fund that would compensate property owners in the instance of another wildfire. That would include government entities like the state, large property owners with over 1,000 acres of land and share-holder utility companies such as Hawaiian Electr ..read more

FILE - Signs asking people to respect locals and that "Lahaina is not for sale" are seen on the side of the Lahaina Bypass, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023, in Lahaina.(Lindsey Wasson / AP) Amy Chadwick spent years scrimping and saving as a single mother of two to buy a house in Lahaina on Maui. But after a devastating fire leveled Lahaina in August and reduced Chadwick's home to white dust, the cheapest rental she and her now-husband could find for their family and dogs cost $10,000 a month. Chadwick, a fine-dining server, moved to Florida where she could stretch her homeowners insurance dollars. She ..read more

(Wikimedia Commons) The Hawaiʻi attorney general's office must pay attorney fees for using last year's Maui wildfire tragedy to file a petition in “bad faith” that blamed a state court judge for a lack of water for firefighting, Hawaiʻi's Supreme Court ruled. It seems the state “tried to leverage the most horrific event in state history to advance its interests,” the ruling issued Thursday said. The day after the historic town of Lahaina burned in a deadly August fire, the state attorney general's office, representing the Board of Land and Natural Resources, filed a petition alleging East Maui ..read more

Wilted palm trees line a destroyed property, Friday, Dec. 8, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaiʻi. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)(Lindsey Wasson/AP / AP) Despite sizable public opposition, lawmakers are racing to finalize a bill that could pass the costs of the Maui wildfires onto ratepayers. Senate Bill 2922 would authorize Hawaiian Electric to raise money by issuing bonds backed by its own customers, also known as a financial maneuver called securitization. The measure has changed significantly over the course of its journey through the House and Senate. Lawmakers have until the end of the week to reach an ..read more