Honolulu Energy & Environment Committee Meeting - April 28, 2026
Honolulu Energy, Environment & Sustainability Committee Meeting – April 28, 2026
The Committee on Energy, Environment and Sustainability met on April 28, 2026, at 1:03 PM in a remote format under Section 92-3.7, HRS. Items discussed included the acceptance of a travel gift from the World Health Organization, an update on the Clean Streams program, and an update on emergency and disaster monitoring systems. The meeting adjourned after covering the addendum agenda item.
Consent Calendar
- Resolution 26-76 accepting a gift of travel and related expenses valued at $4,000 from the World Health Organization for the executive director of the Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency (CCSR) to attend the 2025 WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine in New Delhi, India, December 14–21. Dr. Kaloha Fox, executive director of CCSR, explained that the summit would focus on integrating indigenous knowledge into local public health mechanisms in the context of climate change. The resolution was reported out for adoption with no objections.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Informational Briefing – Clean Streams Program: Raquel Chu testified in support of reinstating a regular stream and ditch maintenance schedule (summer and pre/post-winter, plus as needed). She expressed concerns that private homeowners are often unaware of their maintenance responsibilities and suggested that consistent city maintenance is needed to support compliance.
- Informational Briefing – Emergency and Disaster Monitoring Systems: Raquel Chu testified again, emphasizing that her community is still in recovery and lacks faith in current preparedness. She urged that the city maintain manual monitoring even with new technology, highlighted the need for more gauges in mountains and streams, and called for a structured protocol between city and state for reservoir and stream monitoring.
Discussion Items
- Clean Streams Program Update: Director Jean Albano (Department of Facility Maintenance, DFM) presented the program, which originally aimed to educate private owners about their environmental stewardship. He outlined city responsibilities (permitted stream maintenance with heavy equipment, non-permitted manual work, and DEM-authorized emergency actions) and challenges, including difficulty obtaining right of entry, liability when using heavy equipment, and the need for a multi-agency approach to watershed management. Councilmembers discussed the need for a schedule, better public information, and consistent enforcement. The city has used the ordinance to compel private maintenance only once. Councilmember Dos Santos Tam raised the issue of unclear ownership for streams that were privately owned a century ago, with owners now unknown. Several councilmembers supported using technology (e.g., drones) and collaborating with state and federal agencies. Director Albano committed to providing a timeline for a concrete plan on stream maintenance.
- Emergency and Disaster Monitoring Systems Update: Director Randall Collins (DEM) reported that the FY25 Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) funding of about $6 million (with $1 million allocated for this project) is on hold due to litigation on the mainland. The project aims to leverage AI for hazard detection (flooding, wildfire) by integrating existing infrastructure such as traffic cameras, flood gauges, and NOAA cameras. Collins noted that the project will involve public-private partners and the city’s Chief Data Officer. He highlighted that DEM has made operational changes, including a reporting system that yielded 385 reports from police officers during the last storm. Councilmembers inquired about inter-agency coordination, placement of sensors on non-city property, and the need to maintain manual capabilities. Collins confirmed that coordination with state and federal partners is strong and that earlier EOC activations are now the norm.
Key Outcomes
- Resolution 26-76 was reported out for adoption with no discussion or objections.
- The Clean Streams program update was received as an informational briefing; Director Albano committed to updating the stream maintenance schedule on the DFM website and exploring a multi-agency watershed management approach.
- The emergency monitoring update was received; Director Collins will continue to pursue federal funding and keep the council informed. The project remains in the planning/development phase pending release of UASI funds.
- No formal votes were taken on the informational items.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon. Will the committee on energy environment and sustainability please come to order? It's one oh three, April 28, 2026. I'd like to welcome Committee Vice Chair Dos Santos TAM, uh, Committee Member Tolba, and then I believe we have Councilmember Tupola online. Pursuant to section ninety-two-three point seven. Uh statutes, this meeting will be conducted as a remote meeting by interactive conference technology with the following procedures in effect for the meeting. Members of the public will be allowed to provide oral testimony on all items on the agenda in two ways, remotely and in-person in the council chamber. Remote and in-person oral testimony will be allowed when the agenda item is taken up. As both English and Hawaiian are official languages of the state of Hawaii. Pursuant to Article 15, Section 4 of the state constitution and section one-thirteen of the Hawaii revised statutes. Members of the public may testify in either language for oral testimonies offered in all little Hawaii. Additional time as may be necessary will be allowed for the testifier to provide an English translation of their testimony. Before testifying, each person shall state their name. Persons who have not registered will be given an opportunity to speak following the oral testimonies of the registered speakers. The meeting will automatically recess if we lose audiovisual contact with you and cannot reconvene until we re-establish contact. Therefore, just let us know beforehand if you'll be voluntarily signing out. And written testimonies, including the test for his address, email address, and phone number will be available to the public as described on the proposed agenda. As a courtesy, we just ask everyone to silence their phones. Uh, we'll note uh that item number three on the agenda has been canceled. We do have the agenda which has an item number one, which will be taken after the original items on the agenda. So that brings us for action to agenda item number one, resolution 26-76, accepting a gift of travel and related expenses valued at $4,000 to the city from the World Health Organization for the executive director of the Office of Climate Change Sustainability and Resiliency to attend the 2025 World Health Organizational Organization Global Summit on Traditional Medicine in New Delhi, India from December 14th to the 21st. I know we have Dr. Kaloha Fox, executive director of the resilience office here today. Um, were there any questions from the committee members on this particular resolution or gift item? Seeing none, we're gonna go ahead and proceed to remote testimony. Uh clerks, we have any registered or non-registered remote testifiers. Chair, there are none. Okay, appreciate that. We'll go to in-person testimony. See no registered testifiers, anyone wishing to testify can come up to the podium. Seeing none, we'll go ahead and close testimony and go into discussion. Dr. Fox, if you wanted to maybe just give um quick overview since you're here, um, just kind of of what the conference is about and uh the work that'll be going on. And also wanted to recognize Councilmember Cordero as well to the chamber. Yes. Uh thank you, Chair, uh, Vice Chair and Committee members. Um, Kaloha Fox for CCSR. Um, I was very humbled and honored to be um uh government representative invited by the World Health Organization to attend on the Global Health Summit on Traditional Medicine, which also did publish the global health strategy on traditional medicine. Um, the background for my representation was to make sure that there's an opportunity for us to strengthen local public health mechanisms with also indigenous knowledge and the changing climate. And so we know that there are a lot of biodiversity issues that are directly attached to our overall mental, spiritual, and physical health here in our islands. And so this was a great opportunity for me to be able to represent the city and also provide recommendations to the World Health Organization and leaders from around the world to so that they know that we're doing what we're doing here right in the city and county of Wolu. Appreciate that. Any questions for Dr. Fox? See none. Thank you again for being here. Um, seeing no further discussion, chair's gonna recommend that resolution 2676 be reported out for adoption. Any discussion objections or reservations, hearing none so ordered. Mahalo again. And that'll take us to agenda item number two, informational briefing, update on the clean streams program.
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