Hawaii’s Attorney General and environmental groups filed federal court challenges after the EPA partially rejected the state’s 2024 Regional Haze Plan, which would have reduced pollution affecting Haleakalā and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Parks. The plan had called for retiring older Hawaiian Electric power plants on Maui and the Big Island.
- Hawaii filed a petition in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals asking the court to overturn the EPA’s partial disapproval of the state’s 2024 Regional Haze State Implementation Plan.
- Hawaiian Electric plants on Maui were identified as top contributors of human-caused haze affecting visibility at Haleakalā National Park.
- Hawaiian Electric had voluntarily agreed to retire older oil-burning units but reversed that commitment after the EPA changed administrations in 2025.
- The EPA partially rejected the state plan in May, prompting the legal challenge from both the state and a coalition of conservation and public health groups.
- The outcome could affect long-term air quality and energy costs on Maui, as any required pollution controls would likely be passed on to utility customers.
Source: Bigislandnow
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