Bill Text: HI HB959 | 2024 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating To The Environmental Impacts Of Air Travel.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-12-11 - Carried over to 2024 Regular Session. [HB959 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2024-HB959-Introduced.html
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.B. NO. |
959 |
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THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
relating to the environmental impacts of air travel.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. Hawaii has led the nation in mitigating the climate crisis by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Hawaii's commitment toward achieving carbon neutrality or negativity by 2045 was a nationwide first. In 2021, the Hawaii state legislature became the first legislature in the nation to declare a climate emergency. A critical test of the State's commitment to the environment will come as Hawaii attempts to confront the environmental effects of a key element of Hawaii's economy: the reliance on tourism.
The
legislature also finds that a key environmental consequence of Hawaii's tourism-based
economy is the carbon load released into the atmosphere from air travel. Until recently, no studies of carbon
emissions from air transport of visitors have been widely reported. However, since 2021, four independent, casual
examinations of this topic have emerged, one of which was reported in a
respected news medium, Honolulu Civil Beat, and two of which were presented to
the city and county of Honolulu's climate change commission. The greenhouse gas emission values calculated
compare significantly with the total of Hawaii's net domestic greenhouse gas
emissions.
Thus, questions arise as to the ultimate utility of converting all of Hawaii's ground transportation to electric vehicles or all electricity generation to solar or wind if Hawaii continues to invite visitors with accompanying emissions that dwarf these domestic sources of emissions. Still, others have observed that Hawaii's response to sea level rise and other corollaries of global warming will incur expenditures of many billions of dollars. If visitation to Hawaii generates more greenhouse gas emissions than all of Hawaii's domestic emission sources combined, then visitors to Hawaii should become a prominent source of revenues for mitigation of the impacts of climate change on Hawaii's built environment. At the foundation of any response must come a full understanding of the degree of global warming emissions incurred by visitation to Hawaii. It is this understanding that a study of the global warming emissions from air transport of visitors to Hawaii will serve to clarify. Thus, Hawaii's leadership and the public's apparent lack of understanding of the magnitude of air transportation associated with tourism's effects on global warming demands that a formal, state supported study be performed of this subject with findings presented to legislature, the executive branch, and the public.
Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to establish the mitigation of climate effects of commercial air transportation task force to identify, analyze, and make recommendations to mitigate the carbon load of, contributions to global warming made by, and effects on the climate caused by commercial air travel to the State.
(b) The task force shall comprise:
(1) members to be appointed by the governor no later than September 1, 2023; and
(2) The following ex officio members or their respective designees:
(A) The chief energy officer of the Hawaii state energy office;
(B) The chief resilience officer and executive director of the office of climate change, sustainability and resiliency of the city and county of Honolulu;
(C) The director of transportation; and
(D) The director of business, economic development, and tourism.
(c) The task force shall submit to the legislature and the governor:
(1) A preliminary report of its findings and recommendations,
including any proposed legislation, no later than thirty days prior to the
convening of the regular session of 2024;
and
(2) A comprehensive final report of its findings
and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, no later than thirty
days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2025.
(d) The members of the task force shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for expenses, including travel expenses, necessary for the performance of their duties.
(e) The task force shall be dissolved on June 30, 2025.
SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
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INTRODUCED BY: |
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Report Title:
Department of Health; Air Travel; Carbon Emissions; Task Force; Reports
Description:
Establishes the mitigation of the climate effects of commercial air transportation task force to identify, analyze, and make recommendations to mitigate the carbon load of, contributions to global warming made by, and effects on the climate caused by commercial air travel to the State.
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
