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Gov. David Ige and lawmakers have had divergent paths before, but not quite so consequentially as with the 28 bills the governor considered vetoing — including the budget. Members of the House and Senate will meet at noon Tuesday to decide whether overriding one or more of them is in the cards.
Those who want to track how this all gets solved can watch on the state House YouTube channel with this short link: 808ne.ws/CapitolChannel Opens in a new tab. What may have come up already through back channels is harder to know.
Bright lights, perhaps big lawsuit
The Conservation Council for Hawaii and the Center for Biological Diversity have provided notice of intent to sue the state if it fails to take swift steps to shield three species of critically imperiled seabirds from injury and death due to disorienting bright lighting at state-operated airports and harbors on Maui and Lanai.
In 2017, Kauai County responded to a similar environmental push by adopting its Seabird Habitat Conservation Plan. Maui County should follow suit to better protect the Newell’s shearwater, and Hawaiian and band-rumped storm petrels, which use natural lighting to navigate. Artificial lighting can prompt them to circle lights or collide with structures. Birds that fall to the ground due to exhaustion or injury are vulnerable to predators, or may be hit by vehicles.
