Requesting The Office Of The State Fire Marshal To Convene A Vegetation Management Working Group To Study, Evaluate, And Make Recommendations For Regulations That Define Property Owner Obligations For Vegetation Management On Public And Private Property To Mitigate Wildfire Risk, And Make Recommendations That Define A Line Clearance Tree Trimmer And Establish Minimum Safety Standards, Training, And Qualifications For Individuals Performing Line Clearance Tree Trimming At Or Near Electric Utility Facilities.
HCR69 is a House Concurrent Resolution that requests the Office of the State Fire Marshal to convene a Vegetation Management Working Group. The group is tasked with studying wildfire risk from vegetation on public and private property and making recommendations for regulations that define property owner obligations for vegetation management. It is also asked to develop recommendations for defining a line clearance tree trimmer and for establishing minimum safety standards, training, and qualifications for people performing line clearance tree trimming at or near electric utility facilities.
The resolution is framed as a response to the August 2023 Maui wildfires and broader wildfire concerns across the state. It directs the working group to consider utility wildfire mitigation plans, including Hawaiian Electric and Kauai Island Utility Cooperative filings before the Public Utilities Commission, and to include a broad set of state, county, utility, labor, and landowner stakeholders. The group must report findings and any proposed legislation to the Legislature before the 2026 session and dissolve by June 30, 2026.
Because HCR69 is a concurrent resolution rather than a bill, it does not itself amend the Hawaii Revised Statutes or create enforceable duties. Its practical effect is to initiate an interagency study process led by the State Fire Marshal and to lay groundwork for possible future legislation or regulatory action on wildfire vegetation management and line-clearance tree trimming standards. The resolution could influence future obligations for property owners, utilities, landowners, and workers if its recommendations are later enacted.
The overall sentiment appears supportive and preventive, with the resolution reflecting strong legislative concern about wildfire risk after the Maui disaster. The only recorded vote shown was 5-0 in the Senate Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs Committee, indicating clear committee support. The tone of the measure suggests consensus around the need for additional study, coordination, and safety standards rather than immediate regulatory mandates.
The main points of potential contention are likely to be the scope of property owner obligations, the extent of utility responsibility versus landowner responsibility, and how far any future regulations should go in areas such as vegetation clearance, rights-of-way management, and worker qualification requirements. The resolution also signals possible tension between wildfire mitigation goals and the operational burdens on electric utilities, communications providers, large landowners, and counties. Another likely issue is whether standards should be tailored specifically to electric utilities, as the resolution suggests, or applied more broadly across public and private lands.