STAND. COM. REP. NO. 87-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: H.B. No. 1771

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred H.B. No. 1771 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CARBON OFFSETS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require the Department of Transportation to assist and enable a person to voluntarily purchase a verified carbon offset for greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the person's air travel to or from an airport in the State.

Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from 350Hawaii.org. Your Committee received comments on this measure from Life of the Land and Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines.

Your Committee finds that air travel is essential to the State's economy and tourism industry, yet currently lacks viable technological solutions to fully eliminate emissions. While international frameworks for aviation carbon offsets exist, they do not apply to flights between Hawaii and the continental United States, leaving a substantial gap in available mitigation options. This measure addresses that gap by requiring the Department of Transportation to facilitate the voluntary purchase of verified carbon offsets for air travelers, allowing individuals to mitigate the climate impact of their travel while supporting the State's transition to a zero-emissions economy.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

(2) Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment 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 is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1771, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1771, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection.

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

____________________________

DARIUS KILA, Chair