Hawaii
Can Hawaii afford climate change lawsuit settlement? – Washington Examiner
(The Center Square) – Hawaii recently entered into a settlement in a first-of-its-kind lawsuit that requires the state to implement climate change initiatives by court order, setting forth a potential template for lawsuits in other states.
Thirteen young people, at least one as young as nine, filed the lawsuit against the Hawaii Department of Transportation in June 2022. They said the state DOT needed to do more to protect the state and their future from climate change.
The state spent $3 million settling the lawsuit, money the attorney general’s office said was “well-spent” to avoid a trial that would have started June 24.
The settlement provides a road map of tasks the DOT must do per the court order. These include creating a greenhouse gas reduction plan for the Hawaii Department of Transportation that could cost the state more. Only one price tag is included in the plan—$40 million for public electric charging stations and charging infrastructure for all state and county vehicles by 2030.
The agreement includes a dispute-resolution component that could keep differences out of court. But, the First Circuit of Hawaii will oversee the settlement until 2045 if Hawaii has not met its zero-emission goals.
The Hawaii Department of Transportation must receive “sufficient appropriations” from the Hawaii Legislature, but the settlement does not include a specific amount for the other requirements.
Gov. Josh Green admitted it would not be inexpensive or easy. He said the court order would help him when he had to go to the Legislature and say, “Look, we have to do this.”
“We have these policies in mind but we don’t have the resources that come from the Legislature,” Green said. “We don’t often have the absolute insistence of the courts to do certain things so having a settlement like this creates some guarantees.”
For two years, the governor has pushed for a $25 tourist fee that has not passed the Legislature.
“We have 10 million individuals that come to Hawaii every year,” Green said. “Can you imagine only for a moment if we successfully were humbly asking people to pay $25 when they came to the state? That would be $250 million every single year to pay for the bikeways, extra to bring very advanced analytics to what our carbon impact is from any of the technologies we use, money to get bond to navigate major protections against erosion of the coastline.”
Thomas Yamachika, president of the Tax Foundation of Hawaii, told The Center Square, “There’s going to be some pain,” when finding money to implement the settlement’s initiatives. The Legislature passed tax breaks this year to increase the standard income tax deduction in odd years and lower tax rates for all brackets in even years. It’s possible those tax cuts could be “walked back,” Yamachika said.
Truth in Accounting, which does an annual financial analysis of the 50 states, told The Center Square that Hawaii is already $11 billion in debt.
“The state doesn’t have money sitting around that can be used for settlements like this,” said Sheila A. Weinberg, founder and CEO of Truth in Accounting. “To pay for this settlement, taxes will have to be raised or services and benefits will have to be cut. The other option is to even underfund the pension and retiree health care benefits even more.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Hawaii is the first to settle a climate change lawsuit, but it may not be the last. The case may set a precedent in other states where young people have filed lawsuits over climate concerns, according to an op-ed written by Cara Horowitz, executive director of the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the institute’s communications director, Evan George.
“Many defendants facing climate lawsuits — notably including Hawaii officials in the earlier stages of this case — often protest that climate change policy should be made by legislatures, not judges,” Horowitz and George said in the op-ed published in the Los Angeles Times. “This landmark settlement demonstrates that the courts can hold decision-makers accountable if they fail to live up to their promises.”
Hawaii
Obituaries for July 2
Paul David Chang, 69, of Kailua-Kona died June 16 at home. Born in Hilo, he was a land manager for Puuwaawaa Ranch. Services at a later date. Survived by wife, Patricia Warhola of Kailua-Kona; daughter, Grace Chang of Kailua-Kona; son, Glen (Shaniah) Chang of Germany; brother, Lawrence (Paulette) Chang of Waikoloa; a granddaughter; a nephew; cousins. Arrangements by Dodo Mortuary.
Hawaii
Hawaii police arrest two men with loaded gun and rifle on Oprah Winfrey's property – Times of India
According to the statement released by the state department of land and natural resources, both men were arrested on June 21 just before midnight when the officers found them using a hunting spotlight on the road.
Although the men were not caught in the act of hunting, the state reported that officers found a loaded shotgun and a loaded rifle in their vehicle. The road where they were apprehended is surrounded by Winfrey’s ranch, according to AP.
The suspects were arrested on various charges, including hunting on private property without permission and lacking a hunting license. Additionally, one of the men was arrested for possessing an unregistered semi-automatic rifle.
Maui and other Hawaiian islands are currently grappling with an overwhelming population of invasive axis deer, reported AP.
County officials stated that the case will be reviewed by Maui County prosecutors to determine if charges will be filed. Records indicate that the men have been released pending the outcome of the investigation.
Hawaii
HDOT to install 5 speed tables on Honoapiilani Highway
WAILUKU, Hawaii — Community concerns about speeding in Waikapu and Wailuku have led to a project to install five speed tables on Honoapiilani Highway (Route 30) in the area of Maui Tropical Plantation and Kolo Place starting July 8.
The Hawaii Department of Transportation announced work will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 8 to July 12. One lane will be closed in either direction during the installation with closures approximately 1,000 feet within project limits, according to a news release. Crews will direct traffic in both directions, alternating traffic in the remaining lane.
Speed table locations:
- Mile marker 0.45 near Wailuku Elementary School in the area of Keanu Street and Kolo Place
- Mile marker 2.09 in the area of Waiolu Place and Pilikana Street
- Mile marker 2.27 in the area of Wilikona Place and Waiko Road
- Mile marker 2.38 in the area of Lehuapueo Place and Wilikona Place
- Mile marker 2.55 near Maui Tropical Plantation in the area of Olo Place and Ololi Place
Honoapiilani Highway near Wailuku Elementary School is a school zone and will have a posted speed limit of 20 mph. The other speed table locations will have a speed limit of 30 mph.
Traffic-calming devices such as raised crosswalks, speed tables and speed humps are a physical reminder to motorists to reduce speed when entering residential and school areas.
HDOT has been gathering data on speed reduction and vehicle crashes in areas with traffic-calming devices. For areas with sufficient post-construction data, officials say the number of motorists exceeding the posted speed limit was reduced by an average of 47%.
The data on major crashes (i.e. crashes resulting in an injury or property damage of $3,000 or more) is shown in the table:
The public can view past and planned installations of traffic-calming devices on the HDOT Safety Improvement Map.
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