HB1366 requires the Hawaii Office of Planning and Sustainable Development to create and publish a statewide Hawaii climate adaptation and resilience implementation plan. The bill states that Hawaii faces escalating climate-related threats as an island state, including hurricanes and tropical cyclones, flooding, landslides, coastal erosion, sea level rise, drought, and wildfires, and it finds that existing climate-related plans do not provide a single statewide implementation framework that assesses the State’s overall financial risk from climate change.
The plan must align with the Hawaii State Planning Act, state and county general plans, the Hawaii 2050 sustainability plan, county climate and sustainability plans, and other climate and mitigation initiatives. It must determine the State’s financial risk from climate change, compile climate hazard and vulnerability data, evaluate adaptation options, and recommend land use, development, and infrastructure changes to protect local economies, the environment, and community well-being. The office must submit the initial plan to the Legislature before the 2027 regular session and update it every five years.
The bill also appropriates general funds for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 to support staffing and operating costs needed to produce the plan, including planner positions, computers, publication, outreach, and related expenses. In practical terms, it would add a new statutory planning requirement in Chapter 226, Hawaii Revised Statutes, and create an ongoing executive-branch planning obligation focused on climate adaptation and resilience.
The overall sentiment reflected in the bill text is strongly supportive of proactive climate planning and risk management. The measure frames the plan as a necessary statewide coordination tool and emphasizes long-term protection of people, infrastructure, and the economy. No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no additional evidence of opposition or support beyond the bill’s stated policy rationale.
There is little explicit contention in the available materials, but the main policy issue is likely the cost and scope of the new planning mandate. The bill requires new staffing and recurring updates, and it centralizes climate-risk assessment across multiple existing plans and agencies, which could raise questions about administrative burden, funding levels, and how the new plan would interact with county-level planning authority and existing climate documents.
HB1366 would amend Chapter 226, Hawaii Revised Statutes, by adding a new statewide climate adaptation and resilience planning requirement for the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development. It would require the office to produce an initial implementation plan, integrate multiple existing state and county climate and land-use planning documents, and update the plan every five years. The bill also appropriates general funds for staffing and operational costs, creating a recurring fiscal and administrative commitment for the state.
The bill’s tone and stated purpose are strongly favorable toward climate adaptation planning, resilience, and long-term risk reduction. It presents the measure as a needed statewide response to escalating climate impacts and as a way to coordinate existing plans into a single implementation framework. No hearing testimony, committee discussion, or vote data were provided, so the available record shows no documented opposition or divided sentiment.
The most likely points of contention are fiscal cost, administrative scope, and coordination with existing planning processes. The bill creates new positions and ongoing publication requirements, which may prompt scrutiny over appropriations and staffing needs. It also requires the new plan to incorporate numerous existing state and county plans, which could raise questions about duplication, overlap, and how much authority the state plan would have over local land use and infrastructure decisions.