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Senate committees pass SB 11 to require wildfire-hazard mapping and broaden utilities’ vegetation authority
Summary
The Senate committees on Water & Land and Commerce & Consumer Protection passed SB 11 with amendments Feb. 7, 2025, requiring DLNR to maintain a wildfire hazard map, imposing vegetation-trimming responsibilities near rights-of-way and utility lines, and adding utility access, trimmer standards and cost-recovery language suggested by Hawaiian Electric.
Senators on the joint Committee on Water and Land and the Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection voted Feb. 7 to pass SB 11 with amendments aimed at reducing wildfire risk near utility lines.
The measure, as described by committee leadership, requires the Department of Land and Natural Resources to create and annually update a wildfire hazard map, requires private and public property owners to trim grasses and hazardous vegetation within specified proximities of public rights-of-way and utility lines, and authorizes electric utilities to enter public or private property to trim or remove hazardous vegetation. The chair said the measure also incorporates standards for line clearance, tree trimmer supervision and lineman oversight and sets a later effective date for implementation.
Michael Walker, Statewide…
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