STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1513-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.C.R. No. 181

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 181 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, AND DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES TO TAKE ACTION TO REDUCE THE CARBON EMISSIONS ARISING FROM AIRPLANE TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM THE STATE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to urge the Department of Health, Department of Transportation, and Department of Land and Natural Resources to take action to reduce the carbon emissions arising from airplane transportation to and from the State.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from Airlines for America and Hawaiian Airlines.

Your Committee finds that the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that each individual must remain within a yearly "carbon budget" of 2.7 tons in order to keep human-made global warning below 1.7 degrees Celsius and reach zero net emissions by 2050. Your Committee further finds that the average round trip flight to and from the State creates 1.8 tons of carbon emissions, which is approximately two-thirds of a person's 2.7-ton annual carbon budget. Your Committee notes that the Federal Aviation Administration currently oversees all aviation regulation, including emissions control, which may lead to preemption of any State regulations that are contrary to federal law. However, your Committee believes that there are multiple possibilities for addressing carbon emissions caused by air travel that do not require direct legislative action.

Your Committee has amended this measure by 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 Transportation that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 181, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 181, H.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation,

____________________________

CHRIS TODD, Chair