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Molokai residents call air service failures ‘life and death’ as Senate committee advances bill with amendments
Summary
Multiple Molokai residents and health providers told a joint Senate committee that repeated commercial-flight shutdowns created medical and logistical crises. The committees passed SB1570 with amendments and asked DOT to pursue an emergency charter procurement and runway planning, while accepting attorney-general edits.
A string of public testimonies from Molokai residents and health-service providers convinced two Senate committees to advance SB1570 with amendments aimed at strengthening emergency response when commercial air service to Molokai or Lāna‘i is interrupted.
Why it matters: Molokai and Lāna‘i rely on single commercial carriers for scheduled air service. Testimony detailed canceled medical appointments and delayed essential travel; the committees approved amendments and asked the Department of Transportation to pursue procurement and planning actions to reduce future service gaps.
What testifiers said Kimberly Sveton, who identified herself as president of Molokai Drugs, described multiple multi-day shutdowns by the island’s carrier and told the committees: “This is a life and death crisis.” She recounted canceled chemotherapy trips, cancelled specialist visits and disrupted medical transport — testimony echoed by other Molokai residents and by Maui County AHEC’s executive director, Rosie Davis, who described arranging charter flights for urgent medical needs.
Legal and agency comments Deputy Attorney General Brenton Inouye advised the committees to delete a section of the bill that might infringe the governor’s constitutional emergency powers. DOT Director Ed Sniffen described two tracks: (1) a near-term procurement to establish an open-ended emergency charter contract that DOT could call within 24 hours for high-priority needs (medical cases, providers, emergency response) and (2) a long-term runway-planning path. Sniffen said prior analyses for Molokai runway widening had estimated 1,500 feet of extension and a 50-foot widening, with earlier cost estimates of $60–70 million and later estimates approaching $100 million; such a project would require environmental review, TSA screening changes and roughly 7–11 years from planning to construction.
DOT procurement and airline capacity DOT told the committees it is pursuing an open-ended charter procurement so that carriers could be called on short notice; DOT representatives said carriers are reluctant to be on call without a guaranteed minimum of business and that an open-ended contract would make availability feasible. DOT also said Pacific Air Charters is pursuing FAA certification to serve Molokai and that the process can take up to two years, although officials said federal engagement is underway to expedite approvals.
Committee action and amendments The joint committees passed SB1570 with amendments, adopting changes recommended by the attorney general, inserting a placeholder appropriation for community safety education to be expended by the Department of Law Enforcement, and setting a defective/technical effective date (07/01/2077) to allow additional drafting. Committees directed DOT to continue procurement work and to report back on options for emergency airlift and runway planning.
Ending: Committees advanced SB1570 to the next legislative steps with amendments and requested follow-up reporting from DOT on procurement status and runway-planning options.
