Environmental nonprofit Maui Tomorrow Foundation has sued to invalidate Act 070, a state law that exempts many Lahaina reconstruction projects from Special Management Area permit requirements. The law was specifically crafted to accelerate rebuilding in coastal areas of Maui County after the 2023 wildfire.
- Maui Tomorrow Foundation filed suit alleging Act 070, signed by Gov. Green on June 3, violates Hawaii’s Constitution.
- The law exempts a range of construction and infrastructure activities in coastal Special Management Areas from permit requirements — but only in counties with populations between 150,000 and 200,000, effectively making it Maui-specific.
- Exemptions cover public infrastructure like roads and utilities, as well as private rebuilds including single-family homes under 7,500 sq ft and structures destroyed in a disaster.
- The bill’s sponsor says it was designed specifically to counter a 2024 Maui Tomorrow lawsuit that had already successfully blocked portions of the Lahaina Front Street rebuild.
- A legal outcome blocking the law could significantly slow permitting and reconstruction timelines along Lahaina’s coast.
Source: Hawaii Free Press
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