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 The Respective Obligations Of Property Owners, Lessees, Licensees, Permittees, And Holders Of Easements For Access, Utility, Or Other Purposes, 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.
SR120 is a Senate resolution responding to the 2023 Maui wildfires by asking the Office of the State Fire Marshal to convene a Vegetation Management Working Group. The group would study and recommend regulations governing vegetation management responsibilities on public and private lands, including the duties of property owners, lessees, licensees, permittees, and easement holders, with the goal of reducing wildfire risk. It would also study how to define a “line clearance tree trimmer” and recommend minimum safety standards, training, and qualifications for people doing tree trimming near electric utility facilities.
The resolution directs the working group to consider wildfire mitigation efforts already proposed by Hawaiian Electric and the hazard mitigation plans of other utilities, including Kauai Island Utility Cooperative. It also specifies a broad membership that includes state agencies, the Public Utilities Commission, county mayors, consumer advocacy, invasive species expertise, legislators, utilities, labor, and a large landowner, and asks the Department of Defense to provide administrative support and draft the report. The group must report findings and any proposed legislation to the Legislature before the 2026 session and dissolve by June 30, 2026.
SR120 does not itself change statutory law, but it initiates a formal study process that could lead to future legislation or regulations on wildfire prevention, vegetation clearance, and utility-adjacent tree trimming safety. If acted on later, the recommendations could affect landowners, tenants, utility easement holders, electric utilities, contractors, and workers performing line clearance tree trimming, as well as state and county agencies responsible for land management and public safety.
The available voting history suggests strong support for the resolution: it passed the Senate Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs Committee unanimously, 5-0, with amendments. The bill’s findings frame the issue as an urgent wildfire-prevention and public-safety response to the Maui disaster, and the overall tone is precautionary and collaborative rather than adversarial. No committee testimony is provided, but the structure of the resolution indicates broad interest in coordinated planning across government, utilities, labor, and landowners.
The main areas of potential contention are the scope of obligations the working group may recommend for private property owners, lessees, permittees, and easement holders, and the extent to which utilities versus landowners should bear responsibility for vegetation management. Another likely issue is worker safety and qualification standards for line clearance tree trimming, which could impose new training or certification requirements on contractors and utilities. The inclusion of utilities, labor, and a large landowner on the working group suggests the Legislature anticipates balancing wildfire mitigation, operational costs, property rights, and workplace safety.