STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3600

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 89

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism and Water and Land, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 89 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THAT THE HAWAII STATE ENERGY OFFICE AND OFFICE OF PLANNING AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT DEVELOP A PLAN TO IMPLEMENT A WASTE-TO-ENERGY TECHNOLOGY SOLUTION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request that the Hawaii State Energy Office and Office of Planning and Sustainable Development develop a plan to implement a waste-to-energy technology solution.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development and three individuals.

Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from Life of the Land, Energy Justice Network, Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi, Solid Waste Task Force of the Hawaiʻi Environmental Change Agents, Zero Waste Kauai, Kauaʻi Climate Action Coalition, Green Party of Hawaiʻi, 350Hawaii.org, Climate Protectors Hawaiʻi, Kauaʻi Group of the Hawaii Chapter of the Sierra Club, and fourteen individuals.

Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Hawaii State Energy Office and Hawaiian Electric.

Your Committees find that waste-to-energy facilities greatly reduce the volume of municipal solid waste that must be stored in a landfill by converting it to ash. Your Committees further find that waste-to-energy technology is a viable solution to reduce the State's solid waste stream, decrease the State's need for landfills, and provide non-fossil fuel electricity to reduce the State's dependency on the global oil market. This measure encourages the planning and implementation of new renewable energy projects, relating to waste-to-energy, to further advance the State's progress in achieving its renewable energy goals.

Your Committees note concerns raised in testimony regarding the current planning and operation of waste-to-energy facilities in the State and that a shortage of trash has hampered the ability of the Honolulu Program of Waste and Energy Recovery to meet its contractual obligations with Covanta Honolulu Resource Venture, leading to approximately $6,200,000 in penalty and liquidated damage payments. Your Committees further note that narrowly focusing this measure to only include waste-to-energy technology solutions limits the development and attention to other alternative technology solutions and that this measure should be used as a mechanism to determine the best technology strategies to reduce waste and advance the State's renewable energy goals.

Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting language requesting that the Hawaii State Energy Office and the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development develop a plan to implement waste-to-energy and other alternative technology solutions;

(2) Amending its title to reflect its amended purpose; and

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

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism and Water and Land that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 89, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 89, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism and Water and Land,

________________________________ LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair

________________________________ LYNN DECOITE, Chair