This story was reported and published in collaboration with Hawaiʻi Public Radio . On June 8, 2015, Gov. David Ige sat under the great seal of the state of Hawaiʻi and signed the nation’s first legal commitment to run an entire state’s grid system on 100% renewable electricity. Ige, a Democrat, lamented that…
Hawaiʻi committed to 100% clean energy. Now it’s flirting with natural gas.
Brief
Hawaiʻi, which on June 8, 2015 had Governor David Ige sign the nation’s first statutory commitment to 100% renewable electricity for its grid, is the focus of a 2026-07-09 Canary Media report (with Hawaiʻi Public Radio) by Julian Spector and Savannah Harriman-Pote that highlights the state’s recent consideration of natural gas as an energy option despite its prior legal pledge to fully decarbonize electricity.
Why it matters
On June 8, 2015, Governor David Ige signed the nation’s first law committing a U.S. state (Hawaiʻi) to run its grid on 100% renewable electricity.
Key details
- Canary Media (in collaboration with Hawaiʻi Public Radio) published an article on 2026-07-09 by Julian Spector and Savannah Harriman-Pote reporting that Hawaiʻi is now considering or moving toward using natural gas despite that earlier 100% renewable commitment.