HONOLULU -- Some state lawmakers are exploring the possibility of a special session to let the Hawaii Superferry continue sailing while an environmental assessment.

A Maui Court next week begins proceedings to determine if the Superferry can keep operating while the state does the required environmental reports.

If the Maui court grounds the ferry, it would take a bill passed in a special session of the Legislature to allow the ferry to keep going during the environmental study.

Such a special session would take five days and cost an estimated $20,000 to pay for neighbor island lawmakers' travel and hotel bills.

Legislators who support going back into special session said the $20,000 is nothing compared to what could happen if the Superferry is closed down for eight months. Eight months is how long state expects it would take it to do the environmental report.

Opponents of a special session to help the ferry said it would set a bad precedent.

"Then an argument could be made down the road 'Can we still build a hotel while we do an (environmental assessment)? You did it for the Superferry,'" House Majority Leader Kirk Caldwell said.

Caldwell said a special session to help the ferry would be too explosive.

"It is a huge political land mine because there are strong opinions running on both sides of the issue, and any time you have that kind of situation one side is going to be happy and the other side is not going to be happy," he said.