HB2298 Summary

• Requires developers of construction projects to exercise due diligence and assess changes in the community if construction has not commenced within 5 years of an environmental impact statement's acceptance, including population changes, zoning modifications, and secondary effects like traffic impacts.

• Mandates developers hold community discussion and feedback sessions to share relevant and newly discovered information about social, environmental, and economic concerns when construction delays exceed 5 years from environmental impact statement approval.

• Establishes an explicit 5-year validity timeframe for environmental impact statements, addressing Hawaii Supreme Court ruling in Unite Here! Local 5 v. The City and County of Honolulu that statements do not remain indefinitely valid.

• Allows projects to proceed without requiring costly supplemental environmental impact statements when delays occur, provided developers fulfill community engagement requirements.

• Takes effect January 28, 2045.