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THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
3055 |
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THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO GREENHOUSE GAS SEQUESTRATION TASK FORCE.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. Section 225P-4, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is repealed.
["§225P-4 Greenhouse gas sequestration task force. (a)
The greenhouse gas sequestration task force is established within the office
of planning and sustainable development for administrative purposes only. The task force shall have the following objectives:
(1) Work with public and private stakeholders
to establish a baseline for greenhouse gas emissions within Hawaii and short- and
long-term benchmarks for increasing greenhouse gas sequestration in the State's
agricultural and natural environment;
(2) Identify appropriate criteria to measure
baseline levels and increases in greenhouse gas sequestration, improvements in soil
health, increases in agricultural and aquacultural product yield and quality attributable
to greenhouse gas sequestration and improvements in soil health, and other key indicators
of greenhouse gas benefits from beneficial agricultural and aquacultural practices
that may be used to create a certification program for promoting agricultural and
aquacultural practices that generate greenhouse gas benefits and agricultural and
aquacultural production benefits;
(3) Identify land and marine use policies,
agricultural policies, agroforestry policies, and mitigation options that would
encourage agricultural and aquacultural practices and land use practices that would
promote increased greenhouse gas sequestration, build healthy soils, and provide
greenhouse gas benefits;
(4) Identify ways to increase the generation
and use of compost in Hawaii to build healthy soils;
(5) Identify practices and policies that
add trees or vegetation to expand the urban tree canopy in urban areas to reduce
ambient temperatures, increase climate resiliency, and improve greenhouse gas sequestration
in Hawaii; and
(6) Make recommendations to the legislature
and governor regarding measures that would increase climate resiliency, build healthy
soils, provide greenhouse gas benefits, or cool urban areas.
(b) In addition to the objectives listed in subsection
(a), the task force may consider:
(1) Developing incentives and funding mechanisms
for these incentives, including but not limited to:
(A) Loans, tax credits, or grants;
(B) Research;
(C) Technical assistance; or
(D) Educational materials and outreach, to
participating agricultural activities, aquacultural activities, or on-farm demonstration
projects that are identified and approved by the task force as those that would
promote greenhouse gas benefits, build healthy soils, sequester carbon, increase
water-holding capacity, and increase crop yields; and
(2) Providing for research, education, and
technical support for agricultural activities and aquacultural activities identified
by the task force.
(c) The membership of the greenhouse gas sequestration
task force shall be as follows:
(1) The director of the office of planning
and sustainable development or the director's designee, who shall serve as chairperson;
(2) The chairperson of the board of agriculture
or the chairperson's designee;
(3) The chairperson of the board of land
and natural resources or the chairperson's designee;
(4) The director of transportation or the
director's designee;
(5) The deputy director of the department
of health's environmental health administration or the deputy director's designee;
(6) The state sustainability coordinator;
(7) The director of the environmental law
program at the University of Hawaii at Manoa William S. Richardson school of law;
(8) The administrator of the division of
forestry and wildlife within the department of land and natural resources or the
administrator's designee;
(9) One member who is also a member of the
climate change mitigation and adaptation commission;
(10) One researcher from the college of tropical
agriculture and human resources at the University of Hawaii at Manoa;
(11) One extension agent from the college
of tropical agriculture and human resources at the University of Hawaii at Manoa;
(12) Four members, one each to be appointed
by the respective mayors of the city and county of Honolulu, and the counties of
Hawaii, Kauai, and Maui; and
(13) Four members to be jointly selected and
invited to participate by the president of the senate and the speaker of the house
of representatives, of which two members shall be selected from an environmental
nonprofit organization, and two members shall be selected from an agricultural or
ranching association.
Task
force members may recommend to the task force additional members with appropriate
specialized expertise, subject to approval by the chairperson.
(d) Members of the task force shall be nominated and
appointed pursuant to, and subject to section 26-34 and shall serve without compensation,
but shall be reimbursed for reasonable expenses necessary for the performance of
their duties, including travel expenses.
(e) The greenhouse gas sequestration task force shall:
(1) Submit a preliminary report of its findings
and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the legislature and
the climate change mitigation and adaptation commission no later than twenty days
prior to the convening of the regular session of 2023; provided that the preliminary
report shall discuss the objectives and issues listed in subsections (a) and (b),
including the following:
(A) Types
of agricultural and aquacultural practices, public land and marine use policies,
and on-farm managing practices
that would provide greenhouse gas benefits and result in tangible economic benefits
to agricultural and aquacultural operations;
(B) Short-term and long-term benchmarks that
would indicate how effectively agricultural and aquacultural activities have been
helping the State to reach greenhouse gas neutrality;
(C) Appropriate criteria that may be used
in a certification program to measure baseline levels and increases in carbon sequestration,
improvements in soil health, and other key indicators of greenhouse gas benefits
from beneficial agricultural and aquacultural practices;
(D) Types
of incentives, grants, research, and assistance that would promote:
(i) Agricultural and aquacultural practices
to produce greenhouse gas benefits; and
(ii) Land and marine use policies and agricultural
policies that would encourage agricultural, aquacultural, and land use practices
to provide greenhouse gas benefits and result in tangible economic benefits to agricultural
and aquacultural operations; and
(E) Practices and policies that add trees
or vegetation to expand the urban tree canopy in urban areas to reduce ambient temperatures
and increase climate resiliency and improve greenhouse gas sequestration in Hawaii;
and
(2) Beginning with the regular session of
2024, submit an annual report of its findings and recommendations, including any
proposed legislation, to the legislature and the climate change mitigation and adaptation
commission no later than twenty days prior to the convening of each regular session.
(f) The office of planning and sustainable development
shall provide administrative and clerical support required by the task force."]
SECTION 2. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.
SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
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INTRODUCED BY: |
_____________________________ |
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BY REQUEST |