Tacked on the laundry list of nearly three dozen bills facing a potential veto by Gov. Linda Lingle is a measure with broad public support that does not deserve to be rejected. HB 1270 — the "sustainability bill" — would complete the process of the Hawai'i 2050 Sustainability Project.

Since its inception, the Hawai'i 2050 Sustainability Task Force has spent countless hours collecting input and public opinion on how best to chart the course for Hawai'i's future. Those efforts will culminate in a draft statewide plan that will be unveiled during a September sustainability summit.

The project is a worthy one aimed at guiding the Legislature in formulating sensible policies that encourage a more sustainable future for our islands. That includes guiding principles on a wide swath of issues, from good stewardship of our land to core quality-of-life issues such as education, wealth distribution, healthcare and nurturing a environmentally friendly and vibrant economy.

The project will also include accountability triggers that would ensure this plan doesn't merely wind up sitting on a shelf collecting dust, a failure of previous attempts at a comprehensive statewide master plan. The new plan would have benchmarks to meet, with an independent community council created to track progress and hold lawmakers' feet to the fire. That's the right way to go.

Lingle's stated reason for the potential veto is that the bill would require the state auditor to continue to prepare the 2050 sustainability plan, a function outside of the scope of the auditor's duties that would further delay the issuance of the plan. She also noted that the additional $850,000 in funding would bring the total spent to $1.7 million, and that despite an extension granted in 2006, the task force has failed to complete its report.

But pulling the plug on the project just months before the draft report is set to be released is not the way to go. And there has been some notable progress. For example, a 100-plus-page document produced by a team of researchers charged with identifying key sustainability issues was completed and is available online at www.hawaii2050.org. In addition, more than 24 statewide community meetings were held recently to gauge what our communities feel are key to the sustainability effort; a summary of those meetings was released Friday. And an expansive phone survey polling residents from communities across the state is just weeks from completion. The task force has been meeting with community groups, business leaders and environmentalists as well, and is finalizing the framework, goals, strategies and measurements of sustainability, all central to the final plan's success.

Indeed, collecting as much input and insight as possible is the right course here. If we are to create a robust statewide plan for our future, as many voices as possible should be heard during this crucial planning process.

Let's not cut the project off. This effort puts us on the right path toward creating a better Hawai'i for future generations. Who can argue with that?