Anthony Makana Paris
DemocraticQ1 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?
“Aloha: Hawaiʻi should pursue energy independence by producing and storing more energy locally. Reducing reliance on imported fuels can protect residents from global price shocks and strengthen resilience. Solar, wind, geothermal, and wave energy can contribute, alongside efficiency, storage, microgrids, demand management, and grid upgrades. Because no resource meets every need, decisions should rely on transparent analysis of reliability, cost, and environmental impacts.
I support exploring public ownership of the grid and expanding community and cooperative energy projects. But ownership changes alone won’t necessarily lower bills. Proposals should receive independent public cost-benefit reviews, protect workers and ratepayers, and ensure accountability. Utilities should be rewarded for affordability, reliability, and connecting local renewables.
The transition must benefit working families through targeted bill assistance and wider access to rooftop and shared solar, storage, and efficiency upgrades, including for renters and households unable to afford their own systems. Projects should create local jobs, deliver community benefits, involve residents early, and protect land, water, wildlife, and Native Hawaiian cultural practices.
I would prioritize local renewables and storage over long-term fossil-fuel dependence. Any liquefied natural gas proposal should undergo an independent, transparent review of lifecycle emissions, costs, reliability, and the risk of locking Hawaiʻi into imported fuel, and must not delay a locally powered energy system.”
KEYWORDS: Energy Independence, Affordability, Accountability, and Community Resilience
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?
“Hawaiʻi must prepare for disasters before they strike by strengthening homes, shelters, neighborhoods, infrastructure, and natural defenses.
I support grants and tax credits to help homeowners and associations retrofit homes and shared infrastructure for high winds, with priority for low-income households and high-need communities. Applications should be simple, with staff available to guide residents. New construction should meet updated, evidence-based wind standards, while existing homes should have practical retrofit options.
Schools and other suitable public buildings should be assessed and upgraded as shelters, with safe rooms, backup power, supplies, and plans for flooding and other local hazards. Neighborhood resilience hubs should offer emergency supplies, backup power, multilingual communication, and trained local teams. Investments in stormwater systems, roads, and utilities should prioritize communities facing the greatest risks and having the fewest resources.
Green infrastructure, including rain gardens, permeable surfaces, native landscaping, and rainwater capture, can help manage runoff. Healthy watersheds, wetlands, reefs, and dunes can also support natural defenses, guided by community knowledge, Native Hawaiian stewardship, and science.
I support a unified state park system with transparent, dedicated funding for maintenance, conservation, visitor facilities, and community resilience. Visitors would pay admission and parking fees, residents a nominal fee, while access on foot remains free.
Public investments should prioritize prevention, accessible recovery assistance, local jobs, and clear reporting so every community benefits.”
KEYWORDS: Preparedness, Resilience, Equity, and Stewardship
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?
“Hawaiʻi should invest in ʻāina and people by strengthening energy and water systems, growing local food production, expanding vocational training, and keeping more dollars circulating in the islands. We can also become a Pacific data hub, provided data-center growth serves the public and respects limits on land, water, and infrastructure.
I would not support a statewide ban on data centers. Counties should distinguish large, energy-intensive facilities from standard data-processing centers and regulate them through zoning, permits, and enforceable standards. Projects that threaten essential water supplies, strain the grid, raise residents’ costs, or cause unacceptable harm to agricultural land, ecosystems, or cultural resources should be denied.
Before approval, large projects should undergo independent, transparent review of energy and water use, emissions, noise, land impacts, infrastructure costs, and effects on utility bills. Developers should pay for the power, water, and grid upgrades they require. Facilities should meet strong efficiency standards, use additional clean energy and storage, and publicly report resource use and environmental performance. Public subsidies should depend on measurable local benefits.
Communities should help shape projects from the beginning. Benefits should include local hiring, quality jobs, apprenticeships, vocational training, and shared infrastructure. Hawaiʻi can welcome technology without giving companies a blank check: projects must support affordable, reliable services, environmental protection, good jobs, and community self-determination.”
KEYWORDS: Community Benefit, Clean Energy, Water Stewardship, Accountability
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?
“Every student in Hawaiʻi deserves high-quality education and meaningful STEM opportunities, regardless of island, neighborhood, or family income. That requires sustained investment in educators, school facilities, foundational learning, and locally relevant opportunities.
My priorities include competitive teacher salaries, permanent differentials for hard-to-staff roles, housing assistance for school staff, and modern, safe classrooms. Funding should reflect each school’s needs, including staffing challenges and support for students with disabilities and multilingual learners.
AI can support learning but should not replace teachers, human judgment, or relationships. Schools should set clear rules for classroom use, teach students to assess accuracy and bias, and protect student information. AI should not be the sole basis for grading or high-stakes decisions. Schools should evaluate tools before adopting them broadly, and provide teachers with training, planning time, and technical support.
STEM learning should be hands-on and connected to Hawaiʻi, with opportunities in robotics, coding, engineering, agriculture, marine science, renewable energy, and community problem-solving. I support expanding after-school and summer programs, internships, science fairs, and career and technical education through partnerships with UH, community colleges, employers, and community organizations. Transportation, meals, equipment, and fees should not keep students from participating.
Public investments should be transparent and measured by whether they improve learning and access. Every student should have caring educators, safe schools, and the tools to thrive.”
KEYWORDS: Teacher Support, Equitable Access, Hands-On STEM, Student Success
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?
“Hawaiʻi should reduce transportation emissions while making it safer and more affordable to reach jobs, schools, health care, and essential goods. That requires coordinated action on land use, transit, walking and biking, vehicles, aviation, and shipping.
Focus housing and daily services in existing communities, near rail and frequent bus routes, while protecting agricultural and rural lands. Pair new development with affordable housing, infrastructure, tenant protections, and measures to prevent displacement. Use routine road maintenance to close sidewalk gaps, improve crossings and bus stops, add protected bike connections, and provide shade, prioritizing high-injury areas and routes to essential destinations.
Expand reliable, affordable transit across islands, including flexible rides and medical-trip connections in rural communities. Electrify buses and public fleets while ensuring charging is accessible to renters, lower-income households, rural residents, and small businesses. Evaluate aviation and marine fuels using transparent lifecycle analysis, including effects on land, water, food production, and local energy security.
Transportation projects should create quality local jobs and involve Native Hawaiian communities, people with disabilities, workers, youth, and underserved residents from the start. Publish island- and community-level measures of safety, affordability, access, reliability, emissions, and displacement. Communities bearing infrastructure’s burdens should have a meaningful voice and secure benefits and protections.
Success means safer, more affordable access to daily needs, lower emissions, and growth that strengthens communities rather than displacing them. Mahalo.”
KEYWORDS: Accessibility, Affordability, Accountability, Community empowerment