Gov. David Ige is expected to soon sign a pair of bills that will fundamentally reorganize Hawaii’s approach to land use planning and environmental policy with the goal of streamlining the state’s move toward sustainable energy and climate change adaptation.

One bill, HB1149, integrates the state’s Land Use Commission (LUC) into the Office of Planning (OP), which would be renamed the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development (OPSD) in order to put “key decision-making and regulatory responsibility surrounding land use planning and permitting under one structure.”

The other bill, HB1318, would transfer the functions of the state’s Office of Environmental Quality Control (OEQC) and Environmental Council from the Department of Health to the OPSD. The council would be renamed the Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) and charged with monitoring the progress of state, county and federal agencies in meeting Hawaii’s environmental goals.

The goal of the integration is to help the state accelerate its transition to renewable energy and attainment of sustainability benchmarks.

“Improved collaboration of state agencies is necessary to achieve the State’s sustainability and climate goals and statutory targets,” HB1318 says. “The legislature further finds that improved integration of land use planning and environmental policy decision-making will enhance state government agencies’ ability to implement climate change adaptation measures to address sea level rise and more frequent and intense storm events, increase clean energy production, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

HB1318 leaves the OP’s existing functions intact, including those related to statewide land use planning and coordination, coastal management and sea level rise adaptation, and climate adaptation and sustainability planning and coordination. The OP would also continue to be the state’s lead agency on “smart growth and transit-oriented development.”

The bill would also provide the agency with new powers of environmental review and “such powers delegated by the governor as are necessary to coordinate and, when requested by the governor, direct all state governmental agencies in matters concerning environmental quality control.”

The EAC would be responsible for filing an annual report with the OPSD with recommendations on ecology and environmental quality. County, state and federal agencies would be required to respond to its requests for information. It would also monitor county, state and federal agencies’ progress in achieving Hawaii’s environmental goals and policies.

The EAC would consist of a maximum of 15 members — approved by the governor — serving four-year terms, with members electing their own chair. HB1318 says members must be drawn from a “broad and balanced representation of educational, business and environmentally pertinent disciplines and professions,” such as the sciences, research institutions, engineering, law, the humanities, media and environmental groups. Members would not be compensated except for “necessary” expenses, such as travel reimbursement. The 13 members currently serving on the Environmental Council are expected to transition to the EAC.

The LUC’s duties after the integration would remain largely unchanged, but HB1149 says that safeguards would be established to allow the commission to “maintain its independence” when the OPSD is party to a given issue to prevent conflicts of interest.

“I’ve never had to relinquish an organization. This is new for me. Usually, we fight to keep an organization,” OEQC Acting Director Kieth Kawaoka said during a May 4 meeting. “I think, in a sense, overall, it’s the best move to make.”

EC member Robin Kaye expressed satisfaction with the quality of the bills, saying they do “everything we asked for, to some degree or another, and more so.”

EC Chair Puananionaona Thoene told NetZero Insider that the council is “hopeful” Ige will endorse the changes, adding that needed changes are “far from over” and represent “just the first step” in making the government more efficient to achieve the state’s renewable energy goals.