HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	132
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

Requesting the Department of health to CONDUCT a feasibility study on the implementation of continuous monitoring and sampling TECHNOLOGIES in waste combustion FACILITIES and municipal solid waste landfills.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, waste combustion facilities are among the largest sources of industrial air pollution; and

 

     WHEREAS, in many cases, the current technology used to monitor pollutants in the State is obsolete and fails to produce accurate data on the types and amounts of pollutants emitted; and

 

     WHEREAS, at waste combustion facilities in the State, only four air pollutants are typically monitored on a continuous basis, while others, if tested at all, are tested only once per year under optimal operating conditions; and

 

     WHEREAS, this lack of continuous monitoring and sampling means that pollutants are not being monitored during startup, shutdown, and malfunction conditions, when certain pollutants are known to be released in higher amounts; and

 

     WHEREAS, dioxins are one of the most toxic man-made chemicals known to science; and

 

     WHEREAS, the failure to deploy continuous sampling technology in the United States results in underestimating dioxin emissions by 460 to 1,290 times; and

 

     WHEREAS, continuous monitoring and sampling technologies must be implemented at waste combustion facilities and solid waste landfills to ensure that owners or operators frequently monitor, sample, and report the emissions of contaminants, including at times when higher levels of pollutants may be released; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2024, that the Department of Health (Department) is requested to study the feasibility of requiring waste combustion facilities and municipal solid waste landfills to implement continuous monitoring and sampling technologies that have been tested and verified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study is requested to consider the feasibility of requiring:

 

     (1)  The owner or operator of any waste combustion facility to develop plans to continuously monitor or sample emissions of the following contaminants:

 

          (A)  Carbon dioxide;

 

          (B)  Carbon monoxide;

 

          (C)  Sulfur dioxide;

 

          (D)  Nitrogen oxides;

 

          (E)  Ammonia;

 

          (F)  Hydrochloric acid;

 

          (G)  Hydrofluoric acid;

 

          (H)  Particulate matter (total, PM10, and PM2.5);

 

          (I)  Volatile organic compounds (VOCs);

 

          (J)  Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs);

 

          (K)  Dioxins or furans;

 

          (L)  Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs);

 

          (M)  Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS);

 

          (N)  Arsenic;

 

          (O)  Beryllium;

 

          (P)  Cadmium;

 

          (Q)  Hexavalent chromium;

 

          (R)  Lead;

 

          (S)  Manganese;

 

          (T)  Mercury;

 

          (U)  Nickel;

 

          (V)  Selenium; and

 

          (W)  Zinc;

 

     (2)  The owner or operator of any municipal solid waste landfill to develop a plan to continuously monitor or sample emissions of a separate list of contaminants that the Department establishes; and

 

     (3)  The Department to host an emissions data disclosure website to collect emissions data and alert owners or operators, the Department, and any other parties who enroll to be notified of any violations of data availability requirements or exceedances of air pollution limitations; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2025; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Department of Health; Waste Combustion Facilities; Municipal Solid Waste Landfills; Pollution