The state Commission on Water Resource Management has three seats to fill now that a controversial nomination has withdrawn his name from consideration.
V.R. Hinano Rodrigues withdrew from consideration for the loea seat, which is intended for someone with substantial experience or expertise in traditional Hawaiian water resource management techniques and traditional Hawaiian riparian usage.
Gov. Josh Green appointed him to serve on the commission last October. However, the decision drew criticism and legal action from water rights activists, who accused the governor of not properly following the process to select a new commissioner.
Green previously discarded a list of four candidates for the position and selected Rodrigues from a group of candidates put forward by a second committee.
Rodrigues had since been serving on the CWRM in an interim capacity pending Senate confirmation.
Earthjustice associate attorney Harley Broyles previously accused Green’s administration of ongoing interference with the commission and said that Rodrigues was holding his position unlawfully.
Rodrigues notified the Office of the Governor that he decided to withdraw from the commission seat for purposes of “healing with this community and our people.”
Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi Executive Director Wayne Tanaka said in a statement, "We are hopeful that the Governor will take advantage of this opportunity, and choose one of the highly respected, extremely knowledgeable, and incredibly thoughtful candidates that he was originally presented with early last year."
Green thanked Rodrigues for stepping up to serve his community.
“At the time of his nomination, his extensive experience and understanding of Hawai‘i’s cultural and environmental landscape and his previous years of service that worked to preserve and protect our state’s natural resources, equipped him with the insights and skills necessary to navigate the complex challenges facing CWRM commissioners,” Green said in a news release.
Two other vacancies for the commission were posted on Jan. 28. Applications are due by March 31. More information can be found on the CWRM website.
