Oceanfront Property Tied to Obama Granted Exemption From Hawaii’s Environmental Laws
Honolulu officials have granted an exception to the state’s beach protections, clearing the way for a controversial multimillion-dollar renovation of a century-old seawall at a property owned by the chair of the Obama Foundation.
by Sophie Cocke, Honolulu Star-Advertiser Nov. 18, 2020, 5 a.m. EST
The oceanfront estate in Waimanalo, Hawaii, tied to Barack Obama on Aug. 1. (Darryl Oumi, special to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser)
SERIES:PARADISE LOST
Hawaii’s Disappearing Beaches
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published.
This story was co-published with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, a member of the ProPublica Local Reporting Network.
Officials in Honolulu have granted the developers of a luxury, oceanfront estate tied to Barack Obama a major exemption from environmental laws designed to protect Hawaii’s beaches.
The shoreline permit, issued by Honolulu’s Department of Planning and Permitting on Monday, clears the way for the controversial multimillion-dollar renovation of a century-old seawall in the heavily Native Hawaiian community of Waimanalo.
Under state and county laws, such projects are typically banned. Scientists and environmental experts say seawalls are the primary cause of beach loss throughout the state, and officials expect older ones to fall into obsolescence.
https://www.propublica.org/article/oceanfront-property-tied-to-obama-granted-exemption-from-hawaiis-environmental-laws