In April, my administration continued to make strides toward expanding health care, providing housing for our Maui ‘ohana, and protecting our environment. We celebrated the groundbreaking for the expansion of the Hilo Benioff Medical Center, blessed new modular housing units at Ka La‘i Ola, for our Maui wildfire survivors, and announced the appoint­­ment of Charles “Chip” Fletcher, Ph.D., as Special Advisor for Climate and Resilience and David Karl, Ph.D., as Chair of the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Marine Affairs. (Read more)

The Hilo Benioff Medical Center has commenced construction of its expansion project that will include a new 19-bed Intensive Care Unit and 36 additional hospital beds. This $80 million project, marked with a ceremony last month, has been made possible due to a combination of public and private funding and will help reduce the shortage of hospital beds on Hawai‘i Island. (Read more)

The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation (HDOT) dedicated the state’s first electric vehicle (EV) charging station funded by a federal program on February 28. The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) is located at the Kahului Park & Ride on Maui. It is adjacent to some of Maui’s main highways including Pu‘unēnē Avenue (Route 3500) and Maui Veterans Highway (Route 311) formerly Mokulele Highway. (Read more)

LOWERING COSTS FOR WORKING CLASS FAMILIES: THE HOME ELECTRIFICATION AND APPLIANCE REBATES (HEAR) PROGRAM

Hawai‘i is among the first four states to initiate the U.S. Depart­ment of Energy’s Home Energy Rebates programs – a historic $8.8 billion investment for energy-efficient home upgrades for single- and multifamily homes. The Hawai‘i State Energy Office administers the state’s $69 million allocation. (Read more)

CELEBRATING EARTH DAY EVERY DAY IN HAWAI‘I

In Hawai‘i, where reverence for the land and sea is ingrained in our culture, the sentiment often echoes, “Every Day is Earth Day.” Blessed to call this paradise home, the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development (OPSD) recognizes the need for ongoing stewardship of our natural resources.

The Hawaiian Archipelago, known as Ka Pae ‘Āina o Hawai‘i, comprises 132 islands and more than a thousand miles of coastline in the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean. (Read more)

STATE DEPARTMENTS COMBAT INVASIVE SPECIES TO PRESERVE HAWAI‘I’S ECOSYSTEM

The Department of Land and Natural Resources joined Bishop Museum, ‘Iolani School, Le Jardin Academy, and other government officials at Washington Place to watch Governor Green sign House Bill 1899 into law. The bill designates nine native snail species as official state snails. Rather than designating a single species,  multiple species, that are emblematic of the distinctive flora and fauna of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and each island in the state, received the distinction. (Read more)