Maui Council committee to consider wildfire debris removal bill

The Budget, Finance and Economic Development Committee will meet Monday at 9 a.m. on a bill to establish standards and procedures for the removal of fire debris from last month’s Maui wildfires, committee Chair Yuki Lei K. Sugimura announced today.

Bill 86 (2023), submitted by the county’s Department of the Corporation Counsel, would establish requirements for debris removal from private properties both through a government-operated program and for those who wish to remove debris through an alternative contractor. Sugimura said representatives from the EPA, the US Army Corps of Engineers and other agencies will be at the meeting.

“It is imperative for fire debris removal to progress quickly to protect the community from hazardous materials,” said Sugimura, who is also the vice-chair of the council. “However, the removal must also be done responsibly and with respect to those who lost their homes.”

Sugimura said she encourages property owners who need fire debris removed from their property to share their thoughts with the committee to help the county strike the right balance.

In-person, online and phone testimony is welcome at all meetings. Testimony instructions are on the meeting agendas, available at mauicounty.us/agendas.