Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi Director Statement on Hinano Rodrigues’ Withdrawal from Consideration for the Water Commission Loea Seat
CONTACT: Wayne Tanaka, wayne.tanaka@sierraclub.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
HONOLULU, HAWAIʻI – The Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi executive director Wayne Chung Tanaka today issued the following statement regarding Hinano Rodrigues’ withdrawal from consideration for Senate confirmation to the Water Commission, as the Commission’s “loea” or designated expert in Native Hawaiian water management and traditional riparian practices:
We are thankful that Mr. Rodrigues has chosen to do the honorable thing, and respect the requests of over 70 organizations and community leaders that have asked the Governor to follow the legal process for selecting new water commission members, and pick a name from the original list provided to him by the Water Commission Nominating Committee in February of last year.
By withdrawing his name from consideration for the Commission, Mr. Rodrigues is now giving the Governor the opportunity to do right by the law, and by the people of Hawai‘i. We are hopeful that the Governor will take advantage of this opportunity, and choose one of the highly respected, extremely knowledgeable, and incredibly thoughtful candidates that he was originally presented with early last year.
We are supremely grateful for all of the individuals and groups who rose up to express their concerns regarding Mr. Rodrigues’ highly irregular nomination, and the need to ensure that the Water Commission’s “loea” or Native Hawaiian water management expert has the requisite knowledge and community support to ensure the sustainable and fair conservation and distribution of our islands’ most precious resource, for the benefit of present and future generations.
E ola i ka wai.
Save The Date: Court Hearing On Hui Kānāwai ‘Oia‘i‘o’s Lawsuit Against the Governor’s Unlawful Loea Nomination Process
Mark your calendars to support Hui Kānāwai ʻOiʻiʻo in the courtroom on April 18 for a motion to dismiss hearing in Honolulu. Learn more about the lawsuit here from Earthjustice.