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Committee defers decision on Dark Sky Week resolutions to consult stakeholders
Summary
The committee deferred SCR 12 and SR 8, recognizing International Dark Sky Week, to allow further stakeholder input and language development; local advocates warned of growing light pollution and urged ordinances to limit Kelvin-rich lighting and light trespass.
The Senate Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts deferred decision on Senate Concurrent Resolution 12 and Senate Resolution 8, which recognize International Dark Sky Week and highlight concerns about light pollution.
Michael Marlin, testifying as a longtime Lower Kalapana resident and representative of Dark Sky International, described visible sky glow in Pahoa that has intensified over the past five to seven years and said blue-rich white lighting harms seabirds, pollinators, marine life and human health. He recommended focusing on changing lighting Kelvin temperature, enforcing light trespass protections, and developing local ordinances. Marlin said astronomical institutions on Mauna Kea and observatories such as ʻImiloa Observatory already work on these issues but residents and businesses in many areas face no lighting restrictions.
Why it matters: Testimony connected night-sky protection to ecological, public-health and cultural concerns and urged the committee to consult local stakeholders and the global Dark Sky International organization before drafting final language.
The chair deferred the measures to a subsequent decision-making meeting scheduled for Tuesday, April 1 at 3:02 p.m. in Conference Room 224 to allow time for stakeholder consultation and drafting of more specific language.
The transcript shows supporters urging the state to consider ordinances or county actions that would limit blue-rich white lighting and address light trespass; no statutory or funding change was adopted at this hearing.
