HB 1247

Bill Subjects

Affordable Housing Environmental Assessments Environmental Impact Statements HawaiʻI Environmental Policy Act Project Segmentation

Abstract

Exempts affordable housing and certain qualifying housing development projects from HEPA. Establishes a definition of "program" and "project" to preempt the existing definitions under section 11-200.1-2, Hawaiʻi Administrative Rules, and narrow the existing interpretation that requires analysis of tangentially related projects. Amends the applicability and requirements section of HEPA to clarify when multiple actions must be considered in the same environmental review document for the purposes of project segmentation. Expands the requirement that project opponents must exhaust their administrative remedies as a prerequisite to litigation to apply to environmental assessments and environmental impact statements. Retroactively applies to projects that received approval for their environmental assessment or environmental impact statement on or after August 9, 2019.