Lawmakers in Hawaiʻi have advanced legislation to address skyrocketing homeowners and renters insurance costs by holding oil companies accountable for their role in the state’s ongoing extreme weather crises, KITV reported.

In March, Hawaiʻi was hammered by no fewer than three Kona low systems. 

Homes were washed away by unprecedented floodwaters, residents went without power, and the University of Hawaiʻi determined that more than 2 trillion gallons of water fell on the state in March, roughly 3,000% over “normal historical levels.”

Hawaiʻi’s insurance crisis is not sudden, either — Gov. Josh Green issued an emergency proclamation in August 2024 addressing “Hawai’i’s volatile condominium insurance market.”

Tyler Kruse of the Insurance Fairness Project told KITV that Hawaiʻi’s home insurance premiums had risen by 32% to 54% over the preceding year, hikes attributed to increased flooding and wildfire activity.

To address the insurance crisis, state lawmakers proposed legislation (SB 1166), which the grassroots advocacy group Our Hawaiʻi (@ourhawaii808) explained in an Instagram reel.

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According to Our Hawaiʻi, fossil fuel interests registered to lobby Hawaiian lawmakers solely in response to the proposed legislation.

If passed, SB 1166 would allow insurance companies, the Hawaiʻi Property Insurance Association, and the Hawaiʻi Hurricane Relief Fund to sue fossil fuel companies for damages caused by rising temperatures and sea levels. 

Hawaiʻi state Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole told KITV that the core purpose of SB 1166 was to lower home insurance rates in the state, and he acknowledged that the emotional and financial toll of compounding natural disasters was unfairly shouldered by everyday people.

“We can’t keep treating these increasingly frequent disasters as acts of God and just expecting our taxpayers and homeowners to keep bearing the brunt of it,” Keohokalole observed.

On Instagram, commenters on Our Hawaiʻi’s reel encouraged fellow Hawaiians to take action.

“Took 5 minutes to call all four [lawmakers]. Easy as … Call um up people!! Put the pressure on,” one wrote.

“Calling now,” a second remarked.

Others challenged state lawmakers to stand up to powerful lobbyists.

“[Brenton Awa] you gonna side with the people of Hawaiʻi or big oil?” another challenged.

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