Adriel Lam
RepublicanQ1 As energy prices continue to increase in Hawaiʻi, what role, if any, should alternative energy sources, such as solar, wind, geothermal, and liquefied natural gas, play in Hawaiʻi’s future energy mix? What policies would you support related to alternative energy development, regulation, and/or research, and why?
“Western science has historically been rooted in seeking to understand the Laws of Nature and God’s creation. American ingenuity has brought that understanding to making common for every person what was once the luxuries of kings and queens. We should always encourage innovation and development, to include alternative energy source, but to then end that it remains efficient, economical and affordable to the general population.”
KEYWORDS: efficient, economical, affordable
Q2 Every county has faced a major disaster in the last decade, with more and more happening each year. What is your concrete plan to adapt to a world with more volatile, climate-driven risks and protect our communities?
“Climate and weather cycles have been understood for centuries. Preparation and adaptation to these events do not need carbon-driven dogma for sensible leaders to act. We have witnessed how Hawaii was wholly deficient in preparing for windstorm from a bypassing hurricane. We need to better in improving and hardening infrastructure, instead of skimping on the transportation, waterways, and utilities budgets until the next crisis necessitates repair. The engineering and technology exists but it require leadership and priorities to implement and invest in Hawaii’s future.”
KEYWORDS: invest, adapt, improve
Q3 While data centers can be important facilities for processing, transferring, and storing data, there are growing concerns about data centers’ environmental impacts and health repercussions. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological and economic growth with infrastructure reliability, environmental sustainability, and the preservation of land and water? For example, Bill 170 from Hawaiʻi County proposes to ban AI data centers and distinguish them from standard data processing facilities; should other counties follow suit?
“AI/SI is inevitable to technological growth. We can either adapt to it or get left behind. Corporate investment should not come at the expense of the community but for its benefit. We do not need bans, but we should require partnerships. One does not take advantage of community simply for its land value, but should bring value added to a community in raising the existing standards and quality of life.”
KEYWORDS: partnership, community investment
Q4 Across the Hawaiʻi’s Public School System, a little more than 40% of students achieved math and science proficiency in the 2024-2025 school year. However, access to these opportunities varies across the state due to factors such as geography, school resources, and program availability. What policies do you support to expand equitable access to high-quality STEM and general education for students across Hawaiʻi, such as the use of AI in the classroom, increasing public funding, and more support for extracurricular activities?
“The state-wide education bureaucracy continues to hamper overall progress in education. While some schools thrive, others are left behind to fulfill low-hanging social mandates while jeopardizing solid education in the math and science. Public schools need to focus and prioritize on the basics, reading, writing, math and sciences. This is best done when each community has the independence to direct and prioritize the educational goals of their own schools.”
KEYWORDS: independence, priorities
Q5 Hawaiʻi faces unique obstacles in its transportation infrastructure, with inter-island travel, ports, and many rural communities. How can we balance environmentally sustainable technologies (such as sustainable aviation fuel, electric or hybrid vehicles, public transit options like the bus or rail) with equity for different communities?
“Equity comes at a price, and not all communities are locked into their predicament. Collaboration and community engagement integrates human factors into sound policy making. Technological advances are successful, not for the accolades of the inventor, but when great benefit comes to the people.”
KEYWORDS: human factors, greater benefit