Hawaiian Electric and conservation groups reach settlement to protect endangered Hawaiian seabirds

    HONOLULU, Hawaii (KITV) -- Hawaiian Electric came to a three-year agreement with conservation groups to further protect endangered and threatened Hawaiian seabirds on Maui and Lanai.

The settlement is a commitment to several measures to preserve the Ua'u and A'o species. These birds are endemic to Hawaii which means they don't breed anywhere else on earth.

Hawaiian electric agreed to provide $480,000 a year to habitats on Maui. Efforts include installing power line diverters, lowering lines and continuing studies on the impacts the lines have on the imperiled birds.

Jonee Peters, Executive Director of Conservation Council for Hawaii, said, “With this agreement, we are making critical progress in the fight to save these native birds, which are part of our natural and cultural heritage and have been threatened with extinction for decades. While there is still much work to be done to protect these species, we appreciate Hawaiian Electric’s willingness to engage with us and take action on these immediate and longer-term protections.”

There are also plans to expedite an existing long-term project at the top of Haleakala where the largest remaining Ua'u colony lives.

“Hawaiian Electric’s commitment to protecting Hawai‘i‘s seabirds aligns with our efforts to be good stewards of our island environment while providing reliable electric service. This agreement includes commitments to add further protections minimizing potential impacts and projects that will help increase seabird populations while the company fulfills its long-term, ongoing commitment to produce a habitat conservation plan and obtain the related permits. We appreciate the collaboration with agency partners and conservation organizations to ensure native seabirds survive and flourish,” said Mathew McNeff, Hawaiian Electric’s director of Maui County.