STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3537

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 74

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 Health and Human Services and Agriculture and Environment, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 74 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO CONDUCT A STUDY OF THE METHODS USED IN OTHER STATES TO MONITOR AIR POLLUTANTS EMITTED BY WASTE INCINERATION FACILITIES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Department of Health to conduct a study of the methods used in other states to monitor air pollutants emitted by waste incineration facilities.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi, Energy Justice Network, CARES, and four individuals.

Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Covanta Honolulu Resource Recovery Venture, LLC.

Your Committees find that municipal waste combustion facilities emit tons of pollutants into the air and current technology used to monitor waste incineration facilities for pollutants is out dated. Your Committees further find that different states employ different methods to monitor pollutants emitted by municipal waste combustion facilities, and the experiences of other states may prove helpful in determining the optimal methods to be utilized by the State. This measure supports the evaluation of other states' methods and practices for air pollutant monitoring to improve the State's research methodology and strategy in monitoring and reducing the emission of air pollutants.

Your Committees note concerns raised in testimony that the term "waste incineration facilities" should be more narrowly defined as "municipal waste combustion facilities", as the broader term of "waste incineration facilities" could include pathological waste incinerators, which include crematories and air curtain incinerators, which burn vegetative and silvicultural waste. Your Committees further note that these operations do not burn large quantities or have varied waste streams, and thus generate more consistent and significantly lower amounts of emissions than a municipal waste combustion facility. Amendments to this measure are therefore necessary to address these concerns.

Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Replacing the term "waste incineration" with "municipal waste combustion" to specify the facilities to be studied;

(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 Health and Human Services and Agriculture and Environment that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 74, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 74, S.D. 1.

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