SUPPORT HB969 HD1: No Toxic Waste Over Our Water

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February 28 update

SB438 SD1, which would protect our precious and limited drinking water resources from the threat of landfills, was passed by the Senate Ways and Means Committee! Mahalo nui to the more than 40 individuals and organizations who submitted testimony in support, and special thanks to Chair Dela Cruz and Vice Chair Moriwaki for passing this measure.⁠

HB969 HD1, a similar bill to SB438 SD1, was also passed by the House Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs Committee! Mahalo nui to the more than 37 individuals and organizations who submitted testimony in support, and special thanks to Chair Tarnas and Vice Chair Poepoe for passing this measure.⁠

February 25 update

HB969 HD1 will be heard by the House Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs Committee on Thursday, February 27 at 2pm. Please take a moment to support this measure!

Like SB438 SD1, HB969 HD1 prohibits the siting of landfills - which generate millions of gallons of highly toxic leachate per year, and which are all expected to leak - over our precious and limited drinking water aquifers.

Sample Testimony

Aloha Chair Tarnas, Vice Chair Poepoe, and members of the Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs,

My name is [Your name] and I strongly support HB969 HD1, to prohibit landfills from being sited above drinking water aquifers and threatening the water security of our islands and our future generations.

This bill is crucial for protecting our vital groundwater resources. Our drinking water aquifers are irreplaceable sources of pure, precious wai that have sustained and must continue to sustain our communities and ʻāina. Once contaminated, these water sources can be permanently damaged, putting public health and our environment at risk.

Protecting our water is about protecting our health, our environment, and the future of everyone who calls Hawaiʻi home.

I urge you to PASS HB969 HD1.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Testimony instructions

  1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (youʻll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email)

  2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

  3. Enter "HB969" where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

  4. Input your information and your written testimony (no oral testimony will be accepted)

  5. Be sure to share this with your friends and networks!

February 22 update

SB438 SD1, would protect our precious and limited drinking water resources from the threat of landfills, which can and will leak extremely toxic leachate that would inevitably contaminate any underlying drinking water aquifer, and jeopardize the water security of our future generations. This measure will be heard on Wednesday, February 26 at 10:03am, room 211 in the Senate Ways and Means Committee (watch online here).

Sample testimony for SB438 SD1

Aloha Chair Dela Cruz, Vice Chair Moriwaki, and members of the Ways and Means Committee,

My name is [Your name] and I strongly support SB438 SD1, which would prohibit the construction, modification, or expansion of waste and disposal facilities on land above drinking water aquifers.

This bill is crucial for protecting our vital groundwater resources. Our aquifers are irreplaceable sources of freshwater that sustain our communities and ʻāina. Once contaminated, these water sources can be permanently damaged, putting public health and our environment at risk.

Protecting our water is about protecting our health, our environment, and the future of everyone who calls Hawaiʻi home. 

I urge you to PASS SB438 SD1.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Testimony instructions

  1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (youʻll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email)

  2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

  3. Enter "SB438" where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

  4. Input your information and your written testimony (no oral testimony will be accepted)

  5. Be sure to share this with your friends and networks!

February 20 update

SB446 SD1 was passed out of the Senate Ways and Means Committee earlier this week. The bill was passed with amendments to prohibit landfills mauka of the Underground Injection Control (UIC) line, a Hawaiʻi Department of Health mandated boundary that depicts where drinking water aquifers may be threatened by injection (i.e. wastewater disposal) wells. An amendment was also made to reduce the buffer zone between a proposed waste facility and nearby neighborhoods, schools, or hospitals from 1/2 mile to 1/4 mile.

February 15 update

Great news! The Senate Ways and Means Committee has scheduled a hearing for SB446 SD1, a bill that would prohibit the construction, modification, or expansion of a solid waste landfill on land that is within a county-designated “No Pass Zone” - areas where a landfill would contaminate underground drinking water resources. The hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, February 19 at 10:02am in room 211 (watch online here).

You can learn more about this bill on our CapitolWatch website here. 

Please take a moment to submit testimony in support of SB446 SD1 to protect our wai! Sample testimony and instructions below.

SB446 Sample Testimony

Aloha Chair Dela Cruz, Vice Chair Moriwaki, and members of the Committee on Ways and Means

My name is [Your name] and I strongly support SB446 SD1, to prohibit landfills in county “no pass zones” where they may threaten the water security of our islands and our future generations.

This bill is crucial for protecting our vital groundwater resources. Our drinking water aquifers are irreplaceable sources of pure, precious wai that have sustained and must continue to sustain our communities and ʻāina. Once contaminated, these water sources can be permanently damaged, putting public health and our environment at risk.

Protecting our water is about protecting our health, our environment, and the future of everyone who calls Hawaiʻi home. 

I urge you to PASS SB446 SD1.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Testimony instructions

  1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (youʻll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email)

  2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

  3. Enter "SB446" where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

  4. Input your information and your written testimony (no oral testimony will be accepted)

  5. Be sure to share this with your friends and networks!

February 13 update

HB969 HD1 was passed unamended from the House Water & Land Committee. Mahalo nui to everyone that testified—there were over 66 testimonies in support—and thank you to Chair Hashem and Vice-Chair Lamosao for their leadership on this issue.

SB446 was passed out of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. Mahalo nui to the more than 32 individuals and organizations who submitted testimony in support, and special thanks to Chair San Buenaventura for advancing this measure!

This measure has been slightly amended by the Health and Human Services Committee, to clarify the counties' responsibility to designate "no pass zones" in their integrated solid waste management plans, and most notably to prevent the use of incinerator ash in constructing roads or as landfill "cover," among other amendments. The general premise - preventing landfills from being sited over an aquifer - remains the same."

February 10 update

HB969 HD1, which prohibits the construction, modification, or expansion of any waste or disposal facility on land that is near or above a significant aquifer as determined by the Department of Health, is scheduled for its next hearing in the House Water & Land Committee, TOMORROW, Tuesday, February 11, 10am in room 411 (watch online here).

Please take a moment to submit testimony in support of HB969 to protect our wai now and for generations! Sample testimony and instructions below.

HB969 Sample Testimony

Aloha Chair Hashem, Vice Chair Lamosao, and members of the Committee on Water and Land, 

My name is [Your name] and I strongly support HB969 HD1, which would prohibit the construction, modification, or expansion of waste and disposal facilities on land above significant aquifers.

This bill is crucial for protecting our vital groundwater resources. Our aquifers are irreplaceable sources of freshwater that sustain our communities and ʻāina. Once contaminated, these water sources can be permanently damaged, putting public health and our environment at risk.

Protecting our water is about protecting our health, our environment, and the future of everyone who calls Hawaiʻi home. 

I urge you to PASS HB969 HD1.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

SB446, which similarly aims to protect wai on all islands by prohibiting landfills in no pass zones—areas determined by each county where the installation of a waste disposal facility may contaminate groundwater—has its first hearing in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee on Wednesday, February 12 at 1pm in room 225 (watch online here).

Please take a moment to submit testimony in support of SB446 to protect our wai! Sample testimony and instructions below.

SB446 Sample Testimony

Aloha Chair San Buenaventura, Vice Chair Aquino, and members of the Committee on Health and Human Services, 

My name is [Your name] and I strongly support SB446, to prohibit landfills in county “no pass zones” where they may threaten the water security of our islands and our future generations.

This bill is crucial for protecting our vital groundwater resources. Our drinking water aquifers are irreplaceable sources of pure, precious wai that have sustained and must continue to sustain our communities and ʻāina. Once contaminated, these water sources can be permanently damaged, putting public health and our environment at risk.

Protecting our water is about protecting our health, our environment, and the future of everyone who calls Hawaiʻi home. 

I urge you to PASS SB446.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Testimony instructions

  1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (youʻll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email)

  2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

  3. Enter "HB969/SB446" where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

  4. Input your information and your written testimony, select your testimony option(s)—in-person + written, remotely + written, written only. Please consider providing verbal testimony (in-person or remotely) if you are able! 
    *Note: Virtual testimony option may be disabled 24 hours before the hearing.

  5. If you are testifying via Zoom, be sure to review these instructions (page 4)

February 9 update

SB438 was passed out of the Senate Water and Land Committee with amendments. Mahalo nui to everyone that testified—there were over 38 testimonies in support—and thank you to Chair Inouye and Vice-Chair Elefante for their leadership on this issue.

February 6 update

SB438, like HB969 below, would protect our precious and limited drinking water resources from the threat of landfills, which can and will leak extremely toxic leachate that would inevitably contaminate any underlying drinking water aquifer, and jeopardize the water security of our future generations. Please support this bill at its hearing before the Senate Water and Land Committee on Monday, February 10, at 1:05pm in Conference Room 229 (also viewable online here).

Sample testimony for SB438 (see below for testimony submission instructions):

Aloha Chair Inouye, Vice Chair Elefante, and members of the Water and Land Committee,

My name is [Your name] and I strongly support SB438, which would prohibit the construction, modification, or expansion of waste and disposal facilities on land above significant aquifers.

This bill is crucial for protecting our vital groundwater resources. Our aquifers are irreplaceable sources of freshwater that sustain our communities and ʻāina. Once contaminated, these water sources can be permanently damaged, putting public health and our environment at risk.

Protecting our water is about protecting our health, our environment, and the future of everyone who calls Hawaiʻi home. 

I urge you to PASS SB438.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Testimony instructions

  1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (youʻll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email)

  2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

  3. Enter "SB438" where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

  4. Input your information and your written testimony, select your testimony option(s)—in-person + written, remotely + written, written only. Please consider providing verbal testimony (in-person or remotely) if you are able! 
    *Note: Virtual testimony option may be disabled 24 hours before the hearing.

  5. If you are testifying via Zoom, be sure to review these instructions (page 4)

January 31 update

HB969 was passed out of the House Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection! Mahalo nui to everyone that testified—there were over 89 testimonies in support—and thank you to Chair Lowen and Vice-Chair Perruso for their leadership on this issue.

HB969 Bill Background

Last month, the Honolulu mayor proposed placing Oʻahu’s next landfill on prime agricultural land in Wahiawā—just 800 feet above a drinking water aquifer. Given that landfill liners are far from infallible and that all landfills eventually leak, contamination of this drinking water source with toxic landfill “leachate” is not a question of if, but when, if this proposal moves forward.

While we absolutely cannot continue to overburden West Oʻahu with our island’s waste, we also cannot afford to risk contaminating another aquifer—one that will be critical to our future water security.

A bill to protect drinking water aquifers from the potential contamination from landfills or other waste facilities has a hearing this Thursday, January 30 at 9am in the House Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection (room 325). Please take a moment to submit testimony in support of this bill to safeguard our drinking water future today and for generations. You can also watch the hearing live here.

What the bills do 

HB969 prohibits the construction, modification, or expansion of any waste or disposal facility on land that is near or above a significant aquifer as determined by the Department of Health.

Why is this bill is good 

In addition to the existing half-mile buffer zone for schools, neighborhoods, and hospitals, this bill will add protections to prevent landfills and other waste or disposal facilities from being constructed, modified, or expanded above an aquifer deemed as significant by the Hawaiʻi Department of Health. 

While guidelines exist—such as the Honolulu Board of Water Supply’s “no pass zone,” which advises against siting landfills in areas where porous volcanic rock could allow contaminants to seep into Oʻahu’s drinking water—there are currently no laws requiring decision-makers to follow these recommendations or legally preventing landfills from being placed in these high-risk areas.

Sample testimony

Aloha Chair Lowen, Vice-Chair Perruso, and members of the Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection, 

My name is [Your name] and I strongly support HB969 which would prohibit the construction, modification, or expansion of waste and disposal facilities on land above significant aquifers.

This bill is crucial for protecting our vital groundwater resources. Our aquifers are irreplaceable sources of freshwater that sustain our communities and ʻāina. Once contaminated, these water sources can be permanently damaged, putting public health and our environment at risk.

Protecting our water is about protecting our health, our environment, and the future of everyone who calls Hawaiʻi home. 

I urge you to PASS HB969.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Testimony instructions

  1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (youʻll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email)

  2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

  3. Enter "HB969" where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

  4. Input your information and your written testimony, select your testimony option(s)—in-person + written, remotely + written, written only. Please consider providing verbal testimony (in-person or remotely) if you are able! 

    *Note: Virtual testimony option may be disabled 24 hours before the hearing.

  5. If you are testifying via Zoom, be sure to review these instructions (page 4)

SUPPORT SB639: No Jet Fuel in Water

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February 20 update

SB639 SD1 was passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee unamended! Mahalo nui to the more than 61 individuals and organizations who submitted testimony in support, and special thanks to Chair Rhoads and Vice Chair Gabbard for advancing this measure!

February 18 update

SB639 SD1, the “no jet fuel in water bill,”  is scheduled to be heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee this Thursday, February 20 at 10:01 in room 016 (watch online here). This bill seeks the timely and complete clean-up of jet fuel—including fuel additives and compounds formed by the breakdown of jet fuel over time—that is released into the environment from an underground storage tank facility (including but not limited to the US Navy Red Hill fuel facility). Scroll down to “bill background” to learn more about this bill.

Please take a moment to submit written testimony on this important bill! Sample testimony and instructions below. No verbal testimony will be accepted on this bill.

Sample testimony

Aloha Chair Rhoads, Vice Chair Gabbard, and members of the Senate Judiciary Committee,

My name is [Your name] and I STRONGLY SUPPORT SB639 SD1, which makes clear that any jet fuel released from an underground storage tank system - such as the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility - must be completely cleaned up.

Well over three years after the last of many, many jet fuel releases from the Red Hill Facility - one that poisoned our sole source aquifer and thousands of residents - and nearly two years after the Red Hill Water Alliance Initiative called for the complete clean up of this contamination, there are still no clear remediation standards for jet fuel established by the Hawaiʻi Department of Health. 

This bill would finally establish a common sense legal standard that will also be binding on the federal government: there should be NO jet fuel in our precious and once-pure drinking water or in our environment, especially when it has been released by the reckless operation of a decrepit underground storage tank facility as in the case with Red Hill. 

I urge you to PASS SB639 SD1.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Testimony instructions

  1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (youʻll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email)

  2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

  3. Enter "SB639" where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

  4. Input your information and your written testimony (no oral testimony will be accepted)

  5. Be sure to share this with your friends and networks!

February 3 update

SB639 was passed out of the Senate Health & Human Services and Agriculture & Environment committees. Mahalo nui to the more than 42 individuals and organizations who submitted testimony in support, and a special thanks to Chairs San Buenaventura and Gabbard for their leadership on this matter. 

SB639 Bill Background

What amount of jet fuel in water should be an acceptable amount? If you say zero, then this is the bill for you!

SB639 - the “No jet fuel in water” bill - will be heard by the Senate Health and Human Services and Agriculture and Environment Committees on Friday, January 31, at 1pm in Conference Room 225. The hearing can also be watched live here.

This measure makes clear that any jet fuel, jet fuel additives, or compounds resulting from the degradation of jet fuel must be completely and fully remediated in the event of a leak from an underground storage tank. This includes jet fuel that is released from federally owned and operated underground storage tank facilities - including the US Navy’s Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, which has released between 200,000 to 2 million gallons of fuel and contaminated Oʻahu’s primary drinking water aquifer.  

While this is a common sense proposal, it is likely to be opposed by the US Department of Defense, which holds considerable political influence in our islands. Accordingly, it is vital that this bill receives the community’s support!

Please take a moment to testify - sample testimony and testimony instructions are provided below - and please share this with your friends, neighbors, colleagues, and anyone you know who cares about clean drinking water, and the preciousness of our wai.

What the bill does

SB639 requires the complete clean-up of jet fuel - including fuel additives and compounds formed by the breakdown of jet fuel over time - that is released into the environment from an underground storage tank facility.

Why is this good

Four years after the horrifying contamination of Oʻahu’s ʻāina and wai - and the poisoning of thousands of residents - with jet fuel released from the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, there is still no clear enforceable standard for remediation from the Hawaiʻi Department of Health. This bill would make clear that we expect no less than the full cleanup of jet fuel that is released from underground storage tank facilities, including Red Hill, without waiting for the Department of Health to act.

Sample testimony

Aloha Chairs San Buenaventura and Gabbard, Vice-Chairs Aquino and Richards, and Members of the Committees on Health and Human Services and Agriculture and Environment, 

My name is [Your name] and I STRONGLY SUPPORT SB639, which makes clear that any jet fuel released from an underground storage tank system - such as the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility - must be completely cleaned up.

Well over three years after the last of many, many jet fuel releases from the Red Hill Facility - one that poisoned our sole source aquifer and thousands of residents - and nearly two years after the Red Hill Water Alliance Initiative called for the complete clean up of this contamination, there are still no clear remediation standards for jet fuel established by the Hawaiʻi Department of Health. 

This bill would finally establish a common sense legal standard that will also be binding on the federal government: there should be NO jet fuel in our precious and once-pure drinking water or in our environment, especially when it has been released by the reckless operation of a decrepit underground storage tank facility as in the case with Red Hill.

I urge you to PASS SB639.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Testimony instructions

  1. Register for a capitol website account if you haven’t yet (youʻll need to confirm your registration by responding to an automated email)

  2. Sign in to capitol.hawaii.gov with your registration information and click the "Submit Testimony" button.

  3. Enter "SB639" where it says "Enter Bill or Measure."

  4. Input your information and your written testimony, select your testimony option(s)—in-person + written, remotely + written, written only. Please consider providing verbal testimony (in-person or remotely) if you are able! 

    1. Note: Virtual testimony option may be disabled 24 hours before the hearing.

  5. If you are testifying via Zoom, be sure to review these instructions (page 4)