HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	62
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO ENGAGE WITH THE COMMUNITY TO IDENTIFY AND IMPLEMENT ALTERNATIVE VEGETATION MANAGEMENT METHODS ALONG THE HaNA HIGHWAY.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Transportation is responsible for maintaining traffic safety along state highways, including maintaining adequate sight distance so highway users can safely observe oncoming vehicles, cyclists, pedestrians, and roadside infrastructure such as guardrails and signs; and

 

     WHEREAS, identifying vegetation management practices that maintain roadway safety and reduce hazardous risk while minimizing environmental impacts is an important public safety objective for the State; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Public Works of the County of Hawaii banned the use of Roundup and other products containing glyphosate along state highways in 2023; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Transportation continues to utilize herbicides such as Garlon (triclopyr) and other United States Environmental Protection Agency-registered products for vegetation management and has established procedures governing their use, which are currently being implemented on state highways, including on Maui; and

 

     WHEREAS, safety data sheets and hazard classifications for certain herbicides used for roadside vegetation management indicate that products such as Finale XL and Garlon may pose risks to human health and aquatic ecosystems if exposure is not properly controlled; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hana Highway spans approximately sixty-four miles along coastal areas, rivers, streams, and drainage systems, raising concerns among community members regarding potential environmental impacts from herbicidal vegetation management practices along the corridor; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hana Highway corridor traverses numerous coastal watersheds, streams, and nearshore marine environments that support native ecosystems and traditional native Hawaiian cultural practices, including agricultural and subsistence ocean activities; and

 

     WHEREAS, the protection of Hawaii's watersheds, streams, and coastal resources is a matter of statewide concern and is recognized as a public trust responsibility of the State under article XI, section 1, of the Hawaii State Constitution; and

 

     WHEREAS, vegetation management practices conducted along roadways that intersect these sensitive environmental areas may have downstream impacts on water quality, aquatic life, and culturally significant resources relied upon by surrounding communities; and

 

     WHEREAS, East Maui contains some of the most significant traditional agricultural systems in the State, including loi kalo cultivation that relies on clean stream water, and residents, cultural practitioners, and community members have expressed concern regarding the potential impacts of chemical vegetation management practices on streams and other public trust resources and drainage corridors and have requested that alternative control methods be explored; and

 

     WHEREAS, residents along the Hana Highway have expressed a desire to engage with the Department of Transportation to explore vegetation management approaches that maintain roadway safety while reducing or eliminating the use of herbicides; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2026, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Transportation is urged to examine and identify alternative vegetation management methods that would eliminate or significantly reduce the use of synthetic chemical herbicides along the Hana Highway while maintaining roadway safety; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation is requested to hold public meetings in East Maui to hear concerns and develop solutions, including:

 

     (1)  Reviewing current vegetation management practices used along the Hana Highway;

 

     (2)  Examining existing alternative vegetation management methods to reduce or eliminate synthetic chemical herbicide use;

 

     (3)  Exploring and implementing additional and out-of-the-box vegetation management strategies developed in consultation with community stakeholders;

 

     (4)  Considering and discussing the use of organic, eco-friendly herbicides; and

 

     (5)  Identifying and recommending best practices for maintaining roadside vegetation along the Hana Highway while minimizing or eliminating herbicide use; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation is requested to explore opportunities for community-based stewardship and monitoring efforts that may assist the Department in identifying vegetation management needs along the Hana Highway; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation is requested to continue to fulfill its responsibility to maintain Hana Highway and the road to Hana and maintain its budgetary commitments while participating in this process; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation is requested to engage in good faith with community stakeholders in East Maui to develop vegetation management approaches that maintain roadway safety while minimizing environmental and public health concerns; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation is requested to consider whether the process developed through this engagement may serve as a model for community engagement and vegetation management planning along other state highways; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Transportation.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

DOT; Hana Highway; Alternative Vegetation Management Methods