Hawaii DOT outlines actions to meet court-approved Nawahine settlement, unveils draft emissions plan and youth council results

The Hawaii Department of Transportation on Friday briefed joint House and Senate committees on steps it is taking to meet requirements of the court‑approved Nawahine settlement, including a draft statewide transportation emissions‑reduction plan, a new DOT Office of Energy Security and Community Outreach, a youth council and a project screening tool the agency says will measure greenhouse‑gas impacts for every DOT project.

Why it matters: The Nawahine settlement — approved by the court and described repeatedly during the briefing as a partnership among plaintiffs (including youth), the State and the courts — requires DOT to move faster on actions the legislature and courts have already endorsed to reduce transportation emissions. Transportation is currently Hawaii’s largest source of greenhouse gases, and the settlement sets multi‑year milestones that DOT staff told legislators they will use to track progress toward the state’s 2030 and 2045 climate targets.

Ed Sniffen, director of the Hawaii Department of Transportation, said the agency will post a draft of the emissions reduction plan two days after the briefing and described the document as a “living” plan that will be revised as technology and industry evolve. “We set the framework based on that, for the settlement,” Sniffen said, describing the document as the first major deliverable required under the settlement.

The presentation listed several components DOT says it has already begun or committed to: establishing a permanent office for energy and community outreach, forming an inaugural youth council, producing an emissions‑reduction plan, and deploying a project evaluation tool called the PE tool to score greenhouse‑gas (GHG) and vehicle‑miles‑traveled (VMT) impacts for all DOT projects. “Hawaii is now leading the nation in terms of having this capability,” another presenter said of the tool.

Youth council and engagement: The newly formed youth council received 83 applications and appointed 20 members; 10 serve one‑year terms and 10 serve two‑year terms. Council chair Mia Nishiguchi and vice chair Luke Noheiji told the committees the council now includes members from multiple islands (age range 11–24, most 16–19) and that the group will form three working committees (policy and legislation; events and advocacy; ground transportation). The council will advise DOT and help with community outreach, officials said.

Key quantitative commitments and costs discussed: - A DOT commitment to accelerate completion of multimodal pedestrian, bicycle and transit networks that the settlement compresses from roughly 15 years into five. DOT staff described an approximate annual commitment of $40–$50 million for the multiyear effort (transcript phrasing varied; amount described to committees as part of a five‑year “down payment”). - Tree‑planting: DOT said its minimum internal target is 1,000 native trees per year; it planted about 3,000 in 2024 and had planted roughly 4,200 native trees partway through 2025. - Electric vehicle charging: DOT cited a combined public charging investment of about $40 million over five years tied to the settlement and noted it has an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) for NEVI (National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure) funding of about $2.5 million per year. DOT said typical fast‑charging sites cost about $1.5–$2 million each and that the settlement initially funds 13 high‑power locations (each described as a multi‑port site with 150‑kW chargers). - Marine and port upgrades: DOT highlighted a Matson container terminal modernization as an illustrative project the agency estimated at roughly $1 billion, and said shore‑power (“cold ironing”) needs could expand planned capacity from 1 MW to 8–10 MW, with estimated additional capital costs in the $400–$500 million range.

Clean fuels, electrification and industry concerns: The briefing identified a clean fuel standard (CFS) as the single largest wedge for emissions reductions in DOT’s analysis, especially for aviation. DOT and partner speakers said aviation, marine and some heavy‑duty ground vehicles will require low‑carbon liquid fuels (including sustainable aviation fuel) in addition to electrification of light‑duty vehicles. Industry representatives and DOT staff told legislators that costs and fuel availability are the two central constraints; one youth intern and coalition member said the state needs feasibility and cost studies before legislature action.

PE tool and project selection: DOT staff described the PE tool as the agency’s primary scoring method to measure GHG and VMT impacts for all projects, saying it will be used in project selection and design. Legislators asked about transparency; staff said the tool is available online, that it will be refined over time, and that DOT can provide use‑case examples showing how different designs (for example, widening a highway vs. a three‑lane design with bike and pedestrian connections) score in the tool.

Equity, affordability and next steps: Several legislators pressed DOT on economic impacts, particularly whether a CFS or accelerated timeline to 2045 would raise costs for residents. Sniffen said DOT will undertake a feasibility/cost study of a low‑carbon fuel standard and expects initial findings before the 2026 legislative session; he said the agency will produce analyses that compare alternatives such as a 2050 timeline to quantify trade‑offs. Multiple speakers emphasized that the settlement and DOT plan include an explicit equity focus and that DOT will prioritize projects and funding to address connectivity and safety in communities that have had the least investment.

Court oversight and accountability: Briefers and legislators reiterated that the Nawahine settlement includes court supervision for an extended period (staff said the settlement provides for court oversight for 20 years through 2045) and that the settlement’s spirit is partnership among the plaintiffs, the executive branch and the legislature.

What lawmakers asked for: Chairs and members asked DOT for use cases of the PE tool, cost and feasibility findings on a clean fuels pathway prior to the 2026 session, more detail on the EV charging strategy (including slow charging and siting for neighbor islands), and a continued public outreach plan led in part by the youth council and plaintiffs’ representatives.

Ending note: Multiple committee chairs and speakers praised youth council members and Earthjustice/Our Children’s Trust partners for their role in reaching the settlement and urged DOT to continue outreach and to return to the legislature with the study findings and any recommended statutory or funding proposals.