The following four bills in the 2024 session of the Hawaiʻi State Legislature are supported by Energy Justice Network , Hawaiʻi Clean Power Task Force ,Kokua na Aina , and the Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi
INCINERATOR AIR POLLUTION RIGHT-TO-KNOW(SB 2123 / HB 2796) – Requires H-POWER or any new waste incinerator to continuously monitor their air emissions of toxic chemicals and other pollutants, and report this information to a public website, ensuring that accurate data is available on what they are releasing into the air, covering nine pollutants that are currently monitored just once per year (which can drastically understate actual emissions), and nine others that currently go unmonitored.
The Department of Health Clean Air Branch weighed in with comments on an earlier draft of the bill. Read the factsheet first, then check out their comments and our response.
House Bill 2123: Bill Status | Bill Text | Written Testimony | Watch Oral Testimony in Environmental Committee
Senate Bill 2101: Bill Status | Bill Text | Written Testimony | Watch Oral Testimony in Committees
ADVANCING TRULY CLEAN ENERGY (SB 2102 / HB 2786)– Removes “biomass” (the burning of waste, trees, or other plant matter) from the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard so that those dirty energy sources cannot be used by utilities to meet the state mandate for 100% renewable electricity by 2045.See our factsheet!
Senate Bill 2102: Bill Status | Bill Text | Testify!
House Bill 2786: Bill Status | Bill Text | Testify!
SAFE DISPOSAL REQUIREMENTS FOR TOXIC ASH (SB 2571 / HB 2795) – Requires toxic ash from the Lahaina fires to be disposed of in a licensed hazardous waste landfill on the continent unless testing demonstrates it not to be hazardous, in which case it must be disposed of in licensed municipal waste landfill such as Central Maui Landfill. This bill also prohibits “recycling” of toxic trash incinerator ash into roads or construction materials, and clarifies that this solid waste must still be placed in a lined municipal waste or hazardous waste landfill. See our factsheet!
Senate Bill 2571: Bill Status | Bill Text | Testify!
House Bill 2795: Bill Status | Bill Text | Testify!
EQUAL APPLICATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENTS (SB 2367 / SB 2372 / HB 2097 / HB 2798) – Expands the current requirements for an environmental assessment from only covering new and expanding fossil fuel power plants to equally apply to cover power plants burning other fuels as well as existing power plants that switch fuels. See our factsheet!
Senate Bill 2367: Status | Bill Text | Testify!
Senate Bill 2372: Status | Bill Text | Testify!
House Bill 2097: Status | Bill Text | Testify!
House Bill 2798: Status | Bill Text | Testify!
