It’s always good news to hear that a lawsuit against the state is being dropped. So it was with the federal decision last week to withdraw its suit challenging the state’s emergency order over the Navy’s Red Hill fuel storage facility.

Better news, of course, would be the Navy’s expeditious announcement of its plans to defuel the 18 active tanks safely, preventing further water contamination, and to quickly close the underground tank farm. There’s so much to do before this chapter can end.

More electric city buses is good news

Good news on the sustainability front: Honolulu made progress by adding electric buses to its fleet and also decreased city and county electricity use by almost 5% last year. The city has also prioritized solar panel permitting.

The “bad” news: The cost of energy is rising, especially for those tethered to power generated by gas and coal.

Limiting carbon emissions and reducing energy use move us toward a more stable future by controlling costs and addressing climate change threats, so zero-emission vehicles, solar power and conservation are the way to go.