Priorities for 2021
/The Sierra Club of Hawai‘i is monitoring hundreds of environmental bills during the 2021 legislative session and will be testifying on dozens of important bills. Below are some of our top highlights —
Democracy & Justice:
HB341 - DECLARATORY RULINGS CANNOT BE APPEALED (OPPOSE) - Prohibits agencies from accepting petitions for declaratory rulings on issues or questions for which a decision was already issued by another agency that has sole or shared jurisdiction with the agency receiving the petition and provides that agency orders under the State’s administrative procedure law relating to declaratory rulings are final and not appealable. JHA, FIN.
HB344 - ELIMINATES CONTESTED CASE HEARINGS (OPPOSE) - Provides that the Board of Land and Natural Resources and Commission on Water Resource Management shall not conduct contested case hearings, and counties shall not conduct contested case hearings regarding disputes over land use, but that decisions and disputes may be contested and adjudicated in circuit court. WAL, JHA, FIN.
HB686/SB612- ANTI-PROTESTER BILL (OPPOSE) - Establishes the offense of criminal trespass on critical electrical infrastructure and makes it a class C felony. House: HET, JHA. Senate: JDC.
HB1350 - ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE MAPPING (SUPPORT) - Requires the environmental council to develop a tool to identify economic justice communities. Defines "economic justice community". Appropriates moneys. EEP, JHA, FIN.
SB1277 - ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE MAPPING AND TASK FORCE (SUPPORT) - Establishes the environmental justice mapping task force and an advisory council to develop high-quality data relating to environmental justice concerns, identify environmental justice communities, and devise a method to correct for racist and unjust practices leading to historical and current environmental injustices. AEN, JDC.
Energy:
HB860 - SOLAR ON NEW HOMES (SUPPORT) - Beginning 1/1/2022, prohibits the issuance of building permits for new single-family dwellings that are part of a development of twenty or more dwellings and do not include a rooftop photovoltaic energy generating system, unless a variance is granted. EEP, CPC, FIN.
HB696/SB889 - EIS REQUIREMENT FOR BIOMASS PROJECTS (SUPPORT) - Adds definitions of "biomass" and "fossil fuels", and amends the definition of "power generating facility" for purposes of environmental impact statements. House: EEP, JHA, FIN. Senate: AEN/EET, JDC/WAM.
HB1173/SB1237 - CUTS THE SOLAR TAX CREDIT (OPPOSE) - Reduces the cap amounts of the renewable energy technologies income tax credit. House: EEP, FIN. Senate: EET, WAM.
HB460/HB1319/SB546 - CARBON TAXES (WATCHING) - Various bills have been introduced. Read the Sierra Club’s carbon pricing guidance here.
Food & Agriculture:
SB512 - EXPANDS SNAP DOUBLE BUCKS FOR LOCAL FOOD (SUPPORT) - Removes the $10 per visit per day cap on the dollar-for-dollar match received by Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program beneficiaries under the Hawaii Healthy Food Incentive Program, also known as the Double Up Food Bucks Program. Specifies that healthy proteins are eligible purchases under the program. Makes an appropriation to the department of agriculture to expand funding for the program. AEN, WAM.
SB942 - SOLAR ON B AND C-RATED AGRICULTURAL LANDS (WATCHING) - The Public Utilities Commission shall not approve a solar energy facility on B or C rated agricultural lands without a letter of attestation from the Dept. of Agriculture. Clarifies the conditions in which a solar energy facility can operate on class B or C lands. AEN/EET, CPN.
Land Use:
HB260/SB137 WEAKENS THE STATE LAND USE COMMISSION’S AUTHORITY (OPPOSE) - Authorizes county land use decision-making authorities to amend district boundaries and reclassify agricultural lands to the urban district for the development of “affordable” housing. House: HSG/WAL, Senate: WTL, WAM.
Sea Level Rise:
HB431/HB544/HB597/SB230/SB292/SB474/SB503 - SEA LEVEL RISE SELLER DISCLOSURE (SUPPORT) - Requires that mandatory seller disclosures in real estate transactions include identification of residential real properties lying within the sea level rise exposure area.
HB596/SB473 - SEA LEVEL RISE PURCHASER DISCLOSURE (SUPPORT) - Requires a vulnerable coastal property purchaser statement to be executed by the purchaser with the sale or transfer of vulnerable coastal real estate. Requires filing of statement with Bureau of Conveyances. House: WAL, CPC. Senate: WTL, CPN/JDC.
HB284/SB796 - WAIKIKI EXEMPTION TO COASTAL MANAGEMENT LAWS (WATCHING) - Exempts Waikiki from certain coastal zone management program policies relating to beach protection. House: WAL, FIN. Senate: AEN/WTL, WAM.
Transportation:
HB463/HB552/SB500/SB920 - ESTABLISHES 100% CLEAN GROUND TRANSPORTATION GOALS (SUPPORT) - Various bills have been introduced to set statewide goals relating to clean transportation for private vehicles and/or public fleets.
Watershed Protection:
HB464 - STREAMS PROTECTION (SUPPORT) - Prohibits BLNR from authorizing the diversion of water from streams except under specified criteria. Deposits moneys collected via land dispositions that authorize or have the effect of authorizing the diversion of water from streams into the forest stewardship fund. WAL, JHA, FIN.
HB469/SB693 - TRANSFERS 93,000 ACRES OF WATERSHED “PASTURELANDS” FROM DLNR TO DOA (OPPOSE) - Requires that agricultural lands under the jurisdiction of the department of land and natural resources be transferred to the department of agriculture not later than 12/31/2023. House: WAL, FIN. Senate: WTL/AEN, JDC.
HB1015/SB1169 - ALLOWS DIRECT NEGOTIATION OF WATER LICENSES (COMMENTS) - Clarifies the conditions and manner in which the Board of Land and Natural Resources may dispose water by license. House: WAL, CPC, FIN. Senate: WTL, JDC.
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