HB 243 - Sea Level Rise Adaptation

Victory! On July 7, 2021, Governor Ige signed HB 243 into law. HB 243 requires the Office of Planning and state agencies to identify existing and planned facilities that are vulnerable to sea level rise, flooding impacts, and natural hazards; assess options for mitigating impacts of sea level rise to existing and planned facilities; establish staff level points of contact to improve interagency coordination for sea level rise adaptation, flooding and resilience and submit annual reports to the governor, legislature, and Hawaiʻi climate change mitigation and adaptation commission. 

Climate change is already causing impacts around the world and especially in our ocean and along our coastlines.  That is why we need laws on the books to help ensure our coastal communities are prepared for sea level rise and other impacts related to the climate crisis.  Surfrider believes that passing HB 243 is an imperative step to ensure that state agencies are working together to adapt to climate change.  

By signing HB 243 into law, Hawaiʻi beaches and coastal communities have another level of protection from sea level rise and other climate crisis impacts.