STAND. COM. REP. NO. 641

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 946

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Health and Human Services and Agriculture and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 946 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to clarify the exemptions to the prohibition on discharging any wastewater or raw sewage into state waters after December 31, 2026, including an exemption for treatment plants having a treatment capacity of less than 10,000,000 gallons per day.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Maui County Department of Environmental Management.

Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Health.

Your Committees find that section 342D-50.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, which prohibits discharge of wastewater and raw sewage into state waters after December 31, 2026, applies to all dischargers, including household septic systems, individual wastewater systems serving condominium buildings, and wastewater treatment and disposal systems serving small and remote communities. Your Committees further find that these small dischargers are highly unlikely to have the resources to construct and successfully operate and maintain systems that utilize sewage to produce clean energy pursuant to the existing statutory requirement. This measure provides clarity to section 342D-50.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, by specifying what discharges the prohibition applies to, and how discharge compliance can be achieved.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that treatment plants that produce clean energy must also be in compliance with applicable state law, rules, and permits or variances issued by the Director of Health to be exempt from the prohibition against discharging wastewater or raw sewage into state waters after December 31, 2026; and

(2) Inserting an effective date of December 31, 2050, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Human Services and Agriculture and Environment that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 946, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 946, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Health and Human Services and Agriculture and Environment,

________________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair

________________________________ JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair