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Senate committee defers SB 2278 after scientific, safety and design concerns
Summary
The Senate committee deferred SB 2278, a proposal on outdoor lighting, after University of Hawaii witnesses and industry representatives raised scientific concerns about color temperature, wildlife impacts and design implications; the committee said a dark-skies strategy is being developed.
A Senate committee hearing on Feb. 12, 2026 deferred Senate Bill 2278, a measure addressing outdoor lighting and light pollution, after witnesses raised scientific, wildlife and workplace-safety concerns.
Doug Simons of the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy told the committee that SB 2278 “conflicts with the scientific findings and statewide recommendations of the Dark Skies Protection Advisory Committee” and could harm wildlife, public health and cultural practices. Simons urged lowering the proposed correlated color temperature to 3,000 kelvin or less, adopting statewide uplight standards, limiting lumen output, and requiring adaptive controls such as motion sensors. He also recommended amber LED options for turtle nesting zones.
Eric Miyasato, a licensed professional engineer with three decades in the lighting industry, said he was concerned about practical design and safety implications. Miyasato asked whether turtle-nesting-area definitions were island-specific and whether commercial facilities such as Honolulu and Pearl Harbors would fall under turtle protections, and he urged the committee to balance wildlife protections with design and safety needs.
The chair told the committee that concerns about workplace safety and productivity had been raised and noted that the University of Hawaii and the Dark Skies Advisory Committee are developing a dark-skies protection strategy. The committee moved to defer the measure.
No formal floor amendment or final technical text for SB 2278 was adopted at the hearing; the committee indicated it will revisit the topic as part of broader dark-skies strategy work. The hearing record shows written testimony from DLNR, the University of Hawaii, Outdoor Circle and other stakeholders. The committee adjourned without further action on SB 2278 at the Feb. 12 meeting.
