First Lateral Update

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Today is first lateral, which is the last day for a bill that was referred to more than one committee to move into its final committee. Out of the 600 environmental bills that Sierra Club was tracking, over half did not have a hearing or were deferred in committee and are no longer alive for the 2019 session. An updated spreadsheet of the bills still moving through the legislative process can be viewed on our updated Hawaii 2019 Capitol Watch bill sheet. Below is a list of the bills that we have testified on and are still alive:

Carbon Free Hawaiʻi

  • Carbon Pricing

    • HB 1584 - [Support] University of Hawaiʻi to conduct a comprehensive study of a statewide carbon tax.

    • SB 1463 - [Comments] Replaces the environmental response, energy, and food security tax with a carbon emissions tax. Repeals state fuel taxes under the fuel tax law.

  • Clean Energy

    • SB 1289 - [Support] Requires a rooftop solar energy generation system to be installed on all new single-family residential dwellings that are not granted a variance beginning on 1/1/2022.

    • HB 550 - [Support] Requires the PUC to study the feasibility of implementing RPS to encourage the use of renewable energy by gas utility companies. Amends the RPS interim goals for 2030 and 2040 to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy.

Free the Streams

    • HB 1326 - [Oppose] Allows holdover permits for stream diversions to continue.

Planning for Rising Seas

  • Mandatory sea level rise exposure area disclosure in real estate transactions

    • HB 565 - [Support] Mandatory seller/purchaser disclosures within a sea level rise exposure area.

    • SB 1339 - [Support] Requires a purchaser statement with the sale or transfer of vulnerable coastal real estate.

    • SB 1340 - [Support] Requires mandatory seller disclosures in real estate transactions within a sea level rise exposure area.

    • SB 1126 - [Support] Requires seller disclosures in sea level rise exposure areas to ensure that new property owners and transferees understand the special hazards, requirements, and limitations that may affect the property.

  • Strengthening Coastal Zone Management Laws

    • HB 549 - [Support] Requires new developments to plan for the impacts of projected sea level rise and prohibits development in areas significantly affected by projected sea level rise.

    • SB 393 - [Support] Amends coastal zone management laws to further protect against impacts of sea level rise and coastal erosion. Requires new developments to plan for the impacts of projected sea level rise. Prohibits development in areas significantly affected by projected sea level rise.

    • SB 1113 - [Support] Amends policies and objectives related to coastal zone management to reduce residential exposure to coastal hazards and protect state beaches and public shoreline access.

  • Sea Level Rise planning

    • HB 765 - [Support] Requires incorporation of sea level rise projections in all new plans and updates to existing state plans generated under the Hawaiʻi State Planning Act.

    • HB 1487 - [Support] Establishes the Honolulu shoreline climate protection pilot project to develop a plan to protect urban Honolulu from the acute impacts of sea level rise, floodwater, storms, and other impacts of a rapidly changing climate.

    • SB 690 - [Support] Implements the recommendations of the Hawai‘i Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report issued by the Hawai‘i Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission.

    • SB 1054 - [Support] Requires the State and counties to incorporate sea level rise and other climate change hazards and mitigation opportunities into applicable plans, strategies, and mapping. Requires the PUC to consider the findings in the Hawaii Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report.

Administrative

  • Creation of State Department of Environment

    • HB 1586 - [Support] Establishes and transfers to a “Department of Environment” certain programs administered by various state agencies.

    • SB 1529 - [Comments] Establishes the Hawaii state energy office within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.

  • Department of Land and Natural Resources funding

    • HB 125 - [Oppose] Abolishes various non-general funds (Natural Area Reserves Funds) and accounts of the Department of Land and Natural Resources and transfers the balances to the general fund.

    • SB 1068 - [Support] Makes an appropriation to improve na ala hele, the Hawaii statewide trail and access program, by improving access to and maintaining state controlled recreational trails statewide and promoting hiker safety and hiker etiquette education and outreach.

    • SB 1262 - [Support] Adjusts the proportion of conveyance tax revenues deposited into the Land Conservation Fund.

    • SB 1386 - [Support] Requires DLNR to develop a state 2030 natural resources conservation goal action plan and allocates 1% of the transient accommodations tax to be used for the development, submission, and evaluation of progress of the action plan.

  • Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission Funding

    • SB 930 - [Support] Requires the climate change commission and coordinator to assist the State/counties with various sea level rise adaptation plans and climate change mitigation efforts.

    • SB 944 - [Support] Requires the Climate Change Commission to prioritize nature-based solutions in its climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts

  • Rules

    • HB 1403 - [Oppose] Exempts housing projects from environmental impact statement requirements.

Waste Reduction

  • Plastics

    • HB 717 – [Support] Creates Plastic Pollution Initiative

    • HB 762 – [Support] Prohibits providing straws unless requested

    • SB 11 – [Support] Polystyrene Foam Ban

    • SB 367 – [Support] Polystyrene Foam Ban

    • SB 521 – [Support] Creates Plastic Marine Debris Working Group

    • SB 522 – [Support] Single-use Plastics Ban

  • Recycling

    • HB 630 - [Oppose] Repeal Glass Container Program

    • SB 422 - [Support] Implements recycling audit recommendations

    • SB 893 – [Support] Recycling 1 & 2 bottle caps

    • SB 1527 – [Support] Beverage container plastic rings

  • Solid Waste

    • HB 562 – [Support] Construction Waste Working Group

    • HB 1016 – [Support] Implements Aloha+ Challenge Solid Waste Goals

    • SB 1242 – [Support] Implements Aloha+ Challenge Solid Waste Goals

Common Good Coalition

  • Automatic Voter Registration

    • HB 1217 - [Support] Automatic Voter Registration for driver's license and identification card applications.

    • HB 1485 - [Support] Establishes a process, beginning on January 1, 2020, for automatically preregistering or registering public school-enrolled students who are at least 16 years old.

    • HB 1544 - [Support] Establishes a task force to examine the implementation of an automatic voter registration system in the State.

    • SB 412 - [Support] Automatic Voter Registration for driver's license and identification card applications.

  • Taxation of Real Estate Investment Trusts

  • Social Services

    • HB 262 - [Support] Department of Agriculture to create a dollar-for-dollar matching program for beneficiaries of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program who use their benefits to purchase Hawaii-grown produce.

    • SB 390 - [Support] Department of Agriculture to create a dollar-for-dollar matching program for beneficiaries of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program who use their benefits to purchase Hawaii-grown produce.