The state Board of Land and Natural Resources has approved the return of weekly fireworks shows in Waikiki, so long as the company holding the shows also participates in waste and climate change reduction projects.

The BLNR voted Friday on two right-of-entry permit requests by Keaau-based Hawaii Explosives &Pyrotechnics Inc. — one for Friday fireworks shows at Duke Kahanamoku Beach on Oahu, the other for two individual shows at Shipwreck Beach on Kauai — that would give it space on the beach to set off fireworks.

The board voted 4-3 to deny the Kauai request, which asked for entry on the beach for fireworks shows on May 26 and June 12, but voted 5-2 to approve the request for weekly fireworks shows in Waikiki from May 27 to May 19, 2023.

The company has been contracted by Hilton Hawaiian Village to conduct the fireworks shows in Waikiki.

The approval for Waikiki fireworks shows came with the condition that HEP come up with a sustainability plan as well as participate in reducing environmental waste in the area beyond the cleanup of its own debris.

The company would have to come up with the waste reduction plan by the next time it applies for the annual right-of-entry permit.

Bruce Albrecht, operations manager of the company, said fireworks shows stopped in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Several board members brought up their concerns about the firework pollutants released and debris falling on land and into the ocean.

Board member Kaiwi Yoon voted to approve both requests but said that in the spirit of “regenerative tourism,” which shifts the priority of tourism to include environmental sustainability, cultural and environmental concerns need to be weighed.

“My (daughters) love fireworks, but I also love my girls enough to want a clean, sustainable future for them,” he said.

HEP said in a written testimony for the permits that fireworks emit nitrates from black powder and fuels like charcoal and sulfur, but the quantities of pollutants released in a five-minute firework show are small compared with those released from common sources such as commercial passenger planes.

Still, HEP representatives said the company is working on implementing carbon offset fees in their contracts and partnering with cleanup organizations. They also said that most of the debris is cleaned up after shows.

“We go into the ocean immediately following the fireworks display. My trained professionals … as soon as it’s safe, they are literally in the water collecting all that debris that does not sink right away,” said Stephanie Pascual, vice president of HEP. “We are probably collecting, I would confidently say, 90% of the product.”

Board member Aimee Barnes voted against the Kauai request but for the Waikiki request because of the added sustainability plan.

“I would be open to voting yes on this permit with that caveat, but also with the expectation that we are thinking about the evolution of this, not only from an environmental perspective,” Barnes said. “What do we want the future of tourism and entertainment to be, and what is culturally appropriate?”

Board member Doreen Canto and chair Suzanne Case voted against both requests.

Case added that the noise fireworks shows cause would once again become an issue for people with pets.

“I know from years of this, every Friday night … is like hell for people with animals. I live miles away from Waikiki, and it’s very, very hard for my animals, my neighbors’ animals,” Case said. “It is a little bit of, what’s nice for the majority but oppressive for those (with pets) not in the majority. … Honestly, I dread the idea that that’s starting up again, for that reason.”

In a statement following the meeting, the Hilton Hawaiian Village said it was “grateful to the Board of Land and Natural Resources for their consideration of reinstating the Friday night fireworks permit at Duke Kahanamoku Beach, which has become a beloved Waikiki tradition for more than 30 years. Hawaii Explosives & Pyrotechnics, Hilton Hawaiian Village’s longtime fireworks vendor, has our full support as they develop a fireworks sustainability plan and work on the official fireworks schedule as requested by BLNR.”