WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) welcomed more than 200 individuals from Hawaii, including Senate President Ron Kouchi, staff from the Mayor’s Office and members of the Kauai County Council, for the 10th annual Hawaii on the Hill earlier this week.

Hawaii on the Hill is a partnership between Hirono, a member of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, and the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii. It provides member of the Hawaii business community — this year being representative of more than 90 small businesses — with the opportunity to showcase Hawaii businesses and products, meet directly with congressional leaders, and share the aloha spirit with member of Congress, their staff and the District of Columbia community.

“As Hawaii families continue to struggle under the Trump regime’s cost of living crisis, it’s critical we fight to boost our state’s economy,” Hirono said in a press release. “For 10 years, that’s what Hawaii on the Hill has been all about, bringing the best of Hawaii — our small businesses, local entrepreneurs and cultural ambassadors — to Washington, D.C.

“From our Policy Summit with congressional leaders, to the flagship Taste of Hawaii, I am proud to carry on this tradition of partnering with the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii to support our small businesses and show the rest of the country what the aloha spirit is all about.”

In addition to Hirono and Chamber of Commerce Hawaii President and CEO Sherry Menor, Kouchi served as an Honorary Co-Chair of Hawaii on the Hill.

“Hawaii on the Hill has always been about bringing Hawaii’s voice directly to Washington, and this year’s 10th annual event was our most impactful yet,” Menor said. “Anchored by our 2030 Blueprint for Hawaii, our state’s road map for a more diversified, resilient economy, this year’s program was designed to advance Hawaii’s future on the national stage.”

Menor continued, “In honor of our 10th anniversary, we hosted 10 events, from record-breaking attendance at Taste of Hawaii on the Hill to our largest-ever Kama‘aina Come Home gathering, and our first-ever Appropriations 101 session led by Sen. Hirono’s staff, we connected Hawaii’s business community directly to the federal opportunities that matter most. We are deeply grateful to Sen. Hirono and her team for their partnership, and we look forward to building on this momentum together.”

Earlier in the week, Hirono participated in a talk story event moderated by Menor where attendees had the opportunity to hear from Hirono about her work in the Senate to support Hawaii businesses and communities. They later engaged with the senator in a question-and-answer period.

On the day following, Hirono hosted the Hawaii on the Hill Policy Summit where speakers discussed a variety of issues important to businesses in Hawaii and across the country, including the unique challenges local businesses in Hawaii face, programs that provide support for businesses and nonprofits in Hawaii, and building community resilience and partnerships.

Specifically, the speakers shared updates on the states of agriculture, tourism, small businesses and tariffs following nearly 18 months of the Trump Administration.

More than 1,600 people attended the Taste of Hawaii on Capitol Hill that was held on Wednesday, hosted by Hirono and the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii. The event allowed members of Congress and their staff to experience and learn more about Hawaii’s unique culture through cuisine, music and more.

Attendees enjoyed live music performed by Hawaii artists as they visit different tables and sampled different products from across the islands.

Some of this year’s participating exhibitors included the Hawaii Farm Bureau, Aloun Farms, Kauai Kookie Company, Koloa Rum, Lappert’s Ice Cream, The Orchid Lei Company, the Hawaiian Chip Company, Maui Gold and the University of Hawaii.

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A university in Hawaii is launching into phase two of a big solar project on its campus, and when completed, it should mean that the university is getting 100% of its electric from solar power. Actually, the clean solar electricity will go even beyond that.

The university is Brigham Young University-Hawaii, and this big solar initiative is called the University Solar Project. In addition to providing 100% of Brigham Young University-Hawaii’s needs, extra clean electricity from the project will be used to power the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) and the Laie Hawaii Temple.

Instead of relying on rooftop solar power, the university is going into the ground for phase two of the University Solar Project. It is building a ground-mount solar power system southwest of campus. In addition, it is deploying one of my absolute favorites — solar canopies. They are being built in the parking lot in the southeast corner of campus, near the PCC Pacific Theater — not that any of us are familiar with the campus.

Naturally, as is the norm these days, the solar power project also comes with a battery backup system. The emergency battery backup system is supposed to be able to provide the necessary electricity for five days.

BYD–Hawaii kicked off its University Solar Project in 2022 when it installed three rooftop solar power systems, five solar carports, and 7 MWh of battery backup. That already covered 39% of the university’s electricity needs.

Of course, Hawaii is a clear leader in renewable energy adoption. We recently witnessed some of that clean energy leadership while also pushing for more cleantech adoption via our Electric Home Show in Honolulu. The state truly is a special place.

As El Nino officially takes hold in the Pacific, the National Weather Service Thursday warned there’s a likely chance it could rank “among the largest El Nino events in the historical record going back to 1950.”

El Nino cycles, characterized by above-average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean and weak tradewinds, can cause changes in global weather patterns. In Hawaii, the cycle has been linked to more hurricane activity in the Central Pacific Basin in the summer and drought in the winter, which can lead to wildfire threats.

According to the latest update, published Thursday by NWS’s Climate Prediction Center, El Nino conditions developed over the last month with ocean surface temperatures ranging between .7 and 2.1 degrees Celsius, or 1.26 to 3.78 degrees Fahrenheit, above normal. Wind anomalies were also present in the central equatorial Pacific, which further fueled the cycle’s development.

A “very strong” El Nino — what some climatologists have dubbed a “super El Nino” — has a 63% chance of occurring between November and January, right at the end of Hawaii’s hurricane season. Hurricane season started June 1 and lasts through November.

Latest forecasts estimate for this season that there’s a 70% chance the Central Pacific Basin will see five to 13 tropical cyclones, which include tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes.

National Weather Service meteorologist Derek Wroe said the El Nino cycle could mean the region sees a number of cyclones “on the higher range of that spectrum” with possibly more storms at the end of the season when the cycle is expected to be the strongest. He added that exact forecasts and conditions are still uncertain.

“We tend to have more tropical cyclone activity in El Nino years,” he said. “Very strong events bring those odds even higher.”

He reiterated that stronger El Nino cycles do not necessarily mean the weather events, like hurricanes, will be stronger, but rather that they are more likely to occur.

The latest El Nino forecast shows the majority of Hawaii’s hurricane season will likely be defined by moderate to strong El Nino conditions, with very strong conditions becoming more likely beginning in September.

Very strong El Nino seasons occur when sea surface temperatures rise above 2 degrees Celsius, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

Between now and August, El Nino conditions have a 32% chance of being weak and 58% of being moderate. That changes swiftly in the three month span from July through September, with a weak El Nino at 11%, moderate at 46%, strong at 36%, and very strong at 6%.

The odds shift from September through November, with the likelihood of a very strong El Nino jumping to 48%, and moderate decreases to 36%. Then, in the three month periods preceding both December and January, the likelihood for a very strong El Nino increase to 62% and 63% respectively.

Wroe said Hawaii residents can expect a slightly wetter summer — though it will still be fairly dry.

During winter, the island’s usual wet season, a strong El Nino could cause drought conditions and possibly bring wildfire risk, especially during the following summer.

He added that the high probability of very strong El Nino conditions is unique.

“Right now there’s a 63% chance that it could be a very strong El Nino,” he said. “A 63% chance of forecasting something — that doesn’t happen very often. That’s a very high probability.”