We’re Back in the Courtroom Over Maui Hikina Streams

We are headed back to court to defend Maui Hikina’s (East Maui’s) streams! Join us next Thursday, November 21 at 2pm at the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court to hear oral arguments on the state’s denial of our right to a contested case over the 2021 revocable permits to divert East Maui streams. You are invited to join us in person at the courthouse or watch live online, details below.

2021 Contested Case Denial Oral Arguments
Thursday, November 21, 2pm
Hawaiʻi Supreme Court, 417 S King St, Honolulu, HI 96813
Email us at hawaii.chapter@sierraclub.org if you’d like to join us in the courtroom
Watch live online on the Judiciary's Youtube or on ʻOlelo TV Channel 55

What’s under consideration and how we got here: 

The Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) denied the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi’s request for a contested case hearing regarding the continuation of the 2021 revocable permits to divert water from Maui Hikina streams. In response, we appealed, and the Hawaiʻi Environmental Court ordered the BLNR to hold a contested case hearing, reduce the permitted water diversion from 45 to 25 million gallons of water per day (later reduced to 20 mgd), and awarded attorney’s fees. The BLNR appealed, and the Intermediate Court of Appeals reversed the Environmental Court’s decision. Now, the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court will decide which court's decision stands—the Environmental Court’s or the Intermediate Court of Appeals’.

This case is just one of several pending cases from the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi to protect Maui Hikina’s public trust streams, part of a much larger, decades-long fight to restore stream flow across Maui. Mahalo nui for standing with us and supporting the health of Maui Hikina’s streams, farmers, and community. There is still much work to do to secure Maui’s water future, and we invite you to consider making a gift of any size to help us keep up the good work on behalf of Maui’s streams.