Editorial: Pass bills to fund ecological action

By Honolulu Star-Advertiser Editorial Board

Gov. Josh Green has asked the state Legislature to approve three methods to fund state action to address environmental stressors that include overtourism, global warming and rising seas.

» The first, via Senate Bill 1395, has been deferred (deep-sixed) by the House Water and Land Committee. It would "sweep," or divert, all interest earned from the state's rainy day fund - about $60 million annually — to the general fund, and as amended, required the governor to request funding for specific projects to address climate change impacts each year. This solid proposal provides a direct and accessible source of funding for urgent needs, and should not be allowed to disappear from this year's legislative slate. It's now the responsibility of legislative leadership to include this provision in a living bill concerning environmental funding, and to ensure it becomes law.

Click here to read the full story in the March 28 Honolulu Star-Advertiser.