Protecting Hawaii's natural & cultural resources since 1981
30 Years of Government Secrecy Overturned by Hawai'i Supreme CourtOn December 21, 2018 the Hawai`i Supreme Court ruled in favor of Civil Beat overturning 30 years of government secrecy by claiming information could be withheld subject to the “deliberative process privilege.”
The Court found that such a privilege never existed in state law and violates the intent of Hawai`i Revised Statute (HRS) 92 PUBLIC AGENCY MEETINGS AND RECORDS. Statements from Hawai`i Supreme Court ruling from PEER NEWS LLC, dba CIVIL BEAT vs. CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU AND DEPARTMENT OF BUDGET AND FISCAL SERVICES: “Hawai`i law has long stated that “[o]pening up the government processes to public scrutiny and participation is the only viable and reasonable method of protecting the public’s interest.” Hawai`i Revised Statutes 92F-2 (2012) “Therefore, in establishing the legal framework governing public access to government records, the Hawai`I legislature declared “that it is the policy of this State that the formation and conduct of public policy—the discussions, deliberations, decisions, and action of government agencies—shall be conducted as openly as possible.” “Under HRS Chapter 92, public records were expansively defined to include essentially all written materials created or received by an agency, save only those “records which invade the right of privacy of an individual.”” HRS §92-50 (1985) (“As used in this part, ‘public record’ means any written or printed report, book, or paper . . . of the State or of a county . . . in or on which an entry has been made . . . or which any public officer or employee has received . . . . “ (emphases added) Civil Beat article: “Hawaii Supreme Court Overturns 30 Years Of Government Secrecy” Dec 21, 2018
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Know Your RightsThe goal of this website is to inform and empower citizens with information so that you can fight for free-flowing clean stream water, clean oceans, comprehensive land use planning, and insist that all Hawai'i's laws and rules are followed that conserve and protect Hawai’i’s natural and cultural resources and historic sites.
All of us who call Hawai`i home have a role to play to protect Hawaii’s natural beauty and natural & cultural resources. Read more about everyone’s duty to protect the environment in the Hawaii State Constitution, especially Article XI on Conservation, Control and Development of Resources. The Environmental NoticeTo receive periodic notices of Environmental Impact Statements (EIS), Conservation District Use Applications (CDUA), Coastal Zone Management Notices, Special Management Area (SMA), Shoreline Certification Applications and Federal Notices go to the State Office of Environmental Quality Control and sign up for the The Environmental Notice.
Tourism TrendsMore of the Same for Hawaii's Tourism? Download presentation by Paul Brewbaker given on May 3, 2018.
Water Quality AlertsThe Hawaii Department of Health’s Clean Water Branch has launched a new water quality alert notification system with user-friendly features to keep the community updated about our beaches throughout our islands. To access the new notification system click here. If you have any questions, contact the Clean Water Branch at cleanwaterbranch@doh.hawaii.gov.
New Plans The Blaisdell Center Master Plan report has been finalized and is available at online here.
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