State will pay about $800 million in Lahaina wildfires settlement agreement

HONOLULU (KHON2) -- Governor Josh Green says the state will pay about $800 million as part of the lawsuit settlement for the Lahaina wildfires.

He says that won't have any effect on any of the state's other top priorities. He talked about it on Wake Up 2day.

"Just so people understand this is a huge settlement," said Gov. Josh Green. "We will pay close to 20% the state will pay about that."

The settlement agreement is more than $4 billion. So the state's share is about $ 800 million.

Green says that number could've been a lot higher.

"What it will mean is we don't have the better part of a $7, $10, or even $12 billion settlement," said Green. "In the early days of the negotiation the numbers were astronomical and I was able to get it down to $4 billion."

The payout will be over several years, which Green says, will help soften the blow and not take away from other priorities like housing and education.