STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2098

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: S.C.R. No. 115

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 115 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION AFFIRMING THE IMPORTANCE OF MARINE ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION TO ACHIEVE THE STATE'S DECARBONIZATION GOALS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to affirm the importance of marine ecosystem restoration to achieve the State's decarbonization goals.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from Coalition Earth; Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi; and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Your Committee finds that marine ecosystem restoration can help mitigate some of the impacts of climate change by increasing biodiversity and preserving carbon sinks and other natural resources that help remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Your Committee further finds that maintaining transparent methods for quantifying greenhouse gas emissions is crucial to ensuring the consistency and accuracy of greenhouse gas emissions data. This measure affirms the value that marine ecosystems have in helping the State achieve decarbonization and acknowledges the need to continue efforts to improve carbon accounting methodologies to ensure accurate greenhouse gas emissions data.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Specifying the significance of fresh and brackish water wetlands in capturing and storing carbon; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 115, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 115, H.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection,

____________________________

NICOLE E. LOWEN, Chair