The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill that authorizes a study on whether Lahaina is a suitable candidate for designation as a national heritage area.
On Dec. 4, the U.S. House passed the Lahaina National Heritage Area Study Act, jointly introduced by U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono and U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda, both D-Hawaii. The bill now heads to Pres. Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law.
The legislation directs the National Park Service to work with Maui County and other state and local partners to study the suitability and feasibility of granting Lahaina a national heritage area designation, which would make the fire-ravaged town eligible for additional federal assistance.
“The devastating August 2023 wildfires that claimed over 100 lives and destroyed much of Lahaina shed light on how special this town is, not only to the Maui community, but also to Hawaii and the country,” said Hirono in a news release. “The historic, natural, and cultural resources found in Lahaina tell a nationally significant story and this bill will help ensure that story can continue to be told and appreciated for generations to come. Since 1984, there have been over 60 National Heritage Areas established across the country, none of which are in Hawaii — it is a fitting tribute that Lahaina is now under consideration to be one of our first.
Unlike national parks, national heritage areas are large lived-in landscapes. National Heritage Area entities collaborate with communities to determine how to make heritage relevant to local interests and needs.
NPS oversees 62 National Heritage Areas across the country, none of which are in Hawaii.
Last year, Pres. Biden signed into law the National Heritage Area Act, which included a Hirono-authored provision for a study to determine if Kaena Point on Oahu would be suitable for national heritage area designation.
“The Lahaina National Heritage Area Study Act is about grounding its rebirth and rebuilding in the history, culture and tradition of the ahupuaʻa that was once the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii,” said Tokuda. “I am grateful and proud of the overwhelming bipartisan support our bill received in the House, and humbled and honored by Senator Hirono’s leadership and insistence on getting this passed by the Senate before the end of this Congress. I am hopeful the President will also see my bill as a necessary step forward in honoring and healing our community and in getting Lahaina the recognition she long deserves.”
U.S. Rep. Ed Case, D-HI, also co-sponsored The Lahaina National Heritage Area Study Act.
