{"id":305,"date":"2026-05-19T10:05:04","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T10:05:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=305"},"modified":"2026-05-19T10:05:04","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T10:05:04","slug":"epa-rejects-hawaiis-clean-air-plan-to-cut-power-plant-haze","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=305","title":{"rendered":"EPA rejects Hawaii\u2019s clean-air plan to cut power-plant haze"},"content":{"rendered":"
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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The Environmental Protection Agency has partially rejected Hawaii\u2019s plan to reduce haze-causing pollution from aging oil-burning power plants.<\/p>\n

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Under the federal Regional Haze Rule, states are required to develop plans every 10 years to reduce pollution that affects visibility in national parks and wilderness areas. In Hawaii, that requirement applies to the areas around Hawaii Volcanoes and Haleakala national parks.<\/p>\n

The EPA approved parts of Hawaii\u2019s plan that cover visibility calculations, progress tracking, monitoring and other reporting requirements.<\/p>\n

But the EPA rejected the long-term strategy \u2014 including an enforceable shutdown of several power plant units on Hawaii Island and Maui \u2014 and also disapproved the state\u2019s reasonable progress goals and required consultation with federal land managers.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

The EPA said Hawaii\u2019s plan to shut down oil-fired units does not comply with the Clean Air Act because it lacks the consent of the units\u2019 owner and, the agency said, is not needed to meet regional haze requirements.<\/p>\n

The EPA also voiced concerns about grid reliability, saying the early closure of the Kanoelehua-Hill generating station on Hawaii Island and the Kahului generating station on Maui could prevent the delivery of affordable, reliable energy to island residents and businesses.<\/p>\n

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Environmental groups say without the plan, nearly 8,000 tons of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, along with the fine particles they form, will continue to be released, contributing to haze and potential health concerns in nearby communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cHawaii\u2019s stunning national parks are a showcase for some of the most unique and beautiful landscapes in the world,\u201d said Ulla Reeves, Clean Air Program director for the National Parks Conservation Association. \u201cWhen the EPA disapproved Hawaii\u2019s plan to protect park air, they put parks, visitors and communities at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the groups, Hawaiian Electric had previously agreed to retire several oil-burning plants rather than install additional pollution controls, but later asked the EPA to release it from those commitments, citing grid reliability concerns.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo keep fossil fuel plants running, the Trump EPA is twisting the law to override states\u2019 ability to protect their own air and the health of the communities that will breathe it,\u201d said Abi Vijayan, senior climate attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council.<\/p>\n

The EPA says Hawaii must submit a revised plan or the agency will need to issue a federal implementation plan within two years.<\/p>\n

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Environmental advocates said they plan to challenge the EPA\u2019s action in court.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The EPA said Hawaii\u2019s plan to shut down oil-fired units does not comply with the Clean Air Act, while environmental advocates said they plan to challenge the agency\u2019s action in court.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":304,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nEPA rejects Hawaii\u2019s clean-air plan to cut power-plant haze - Hawaii Moving Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=305\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"EPA rejects Hawaii\u2019s clean-air plan to cut power-plant haze - 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