Bill > HB1366

This bill requires the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development to create a comprehensive Hawaii Climate Adaptation and Resilience Implementation Plan, recognizing the state's unique vulnerability to climate change impacts such as rising temperatures, hurricanes, flooding, coastal erosion, and wildfires. The plan must align with existing state and county sustainability plans, and its primary purposes include determining the overall financial risks associated with climate change, aggregating climate hazard data, assessing adaptation options, and recommending land use and infrastructure strategies to protect local economies, environments, and communities. The plan must incorporate recommendations from various existing reports like the Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Plan and the Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Report, and will be submitted to the legislature every five years, with the first version due before the 2027 legislative session. To support this effort, the bill appropriates funding for two full-time planner V positions, one planner IV position, and associated expenses like computers, publication costs, and public outreach materials. The legislation will take effect on July 1, 2025, and aims to provide a comprehensive, strategic approach to addressing climate change challenges in Hawaii.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=1366&year=2026