ELP alumnus David Sakoda (’10) was recently interviewed for a news article discussing plans for Georgia to implement its first environmental court.

In 2015, Hawaii became only the second state in the entire nation to have a statewide environmental court. Vermont was the very first state in the nation to establish an environmental court in 1990. 

David Sakoda shared his thoughts on the favorable results that Hawaii’s environmental courts have brought to the state:

“We’re seeing good dispositions in favor of the environment, and the judges becoming more aware of why we have these natural-resource laws, and the value in imposing adequate sentences to deter future violators,” Sakoda said in a phone interview.

David Sakoda is an ELP graduate and is currently a Program Specialist at the State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, Department of Aquatic Resources.

Read the article in its entirety here.