Wildfire prevention bill set for public hearing Wednesday

A House bill requested by the administration of Gov. Josh Green aimed at preventing wildfires in Hawaiʻi will be heard by two House committees at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.

The agenda is available by clicking here. The agenda has links for livestream viewing and to submit testimony.

House Bill 1064, introduced by Speaker Nadine Nakamura, will be reviewed by the House Public Safety and Water & Land committees. The bill, along with companion Senate Bill 1383, would extensively update Hawaiʻi’s fire protection laws with recommendations from the Hawaiʻi Department of the Attorney General’s “final and forward-looking report” on the Aug. 8, 2023, Maui wildfires.

The committees also will hear House Bill 113, which would require certain owners and occupants of properties located in hazardous tire areas to maintain effective firebreaks within 30 feet of their property and to practice other fire prevention activities.

House Bill 113 also establishes the Community Fuels Reduction Project to be administered by the Department of Land and Natural Resources. The bill requires a report to the Legislature, and appropriates money to carry it out.

The House Committee on Public Safety is chaired by Rep. Della Au Belatti and vice chaired by Kim Coco Iwamoto, both of urban Honolulu. The House Committee on Water & Land is chaired by Rep. Mark Hashem and vice chaired by Rep. Rachele Lamosao, both of Oʻahu.

Senate Bill 1383 had not been referred to committee as of late Friday.

On Jan. 14, Hawaiʻi Attorney General Anne Lopez released the final, forward-looking report on the Maui wildfires that killed at least 102 and destroyed more than 2,000 structures in August 2023. The report, prepared by the Fire Safety Research Institute, as an independent, third party, was the third in a series that examined the Maui disaster in detail. The first report was a Lahaina Fire Comprehensive Timeline Report (Phase One), followed by the Lahaina Fire Incident Analysis Report (Phase Two).

The report includes legislative recommendations, as well as guidance for each county fire department to complete a community risk assessment, produce a community risk reduction plan and conduct a standards of cover analysis.