Hawaii-2020-SB2629-Introduced

SECTION 1. The Hawaii Revised Statutes is amended by adding a new chapter to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"Chapter

state employee air travel carbon offset program

§ -1 Definitions. As used in this chapter:

"Agency" means an internal division of a branch of state government, such as a department, division, branch, agency, program, or office, and includes the judiciary and the office of Hawaiian affairs.

"Canoe plants" means plant species originally brought to Hawaii by ancient Polynesian peoples and shall be considered native to Hawaii for the purposes of this chapter.

"Carbon offset" means a reduction in carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases in, or emitted into, the atmosphere that is achieved by, or on behalf of, a person or entity to compensate for emissions of greenhouse gases resulting from another activity undertaken by such person or entity. A carbon offset may be accomplished by an action that reduces future greenhouse gas emissions or that removes greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.

"Department" means the department of land and natural resources.

"Employee" means an employee of the State including all permanent employees of the executive, judicial, and legislative branches. The term also includes legislative session staff.

"Greenhouse gas" means any of the following gases: carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous (N₂O), sulfur hexaflouride (SF₆), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and perfluorocarbons (PFCs).

§ -2 State employee air travel carbon offset program. (a) The governor, president of the senate, speaker of the house of representatives, chief justice, and chairperson of the office of Hawaiian affairs shall establish a policy for their respective branches of state government that requires all agencies to participate in a carbon offset program established and administered by the department to offset carbon emissions caused by air travel undertaken by an employee of an agency in performance of the employee's official duties. The fee for an offset required for an employee trip, as determined by the department under subsection (b), shall be paid to the department by the agency whose employee made the trip.

(b) The carbon offset program to be established and administered by the department pursuant to subsection (a) shall include:

(1) A procedure for determining the amount of carbon dioxide emissions in metric tons that result from air travel by a single airline passenger, based on the average fuel consumption and corresponding carbon dioxide emission per kilometer traveled for the aircraft in which the single airline passenger traveled, passenger capacity of the aircraft, and distance traveled;

(2) Carbon dioxide-reducing projects to be implemented by or on behalf of the department to create offsets required under this section, which may include, but not be limited to, projects for the reforestation of degraded areas of Hawaii by planting trees native to Hawaii such as koa varieties, sandalwood varieties including Iliahi, Laauala, Wahieala, Aoa, Aahi, and canoe plants;

(3) A methodology to determine the:

(A) Amount in metric tons of carbon dioxide, or the carbon dioxide equivalent of other greenhouse gases, to be eliminated from future emissions or to be absorbed from the atmosphere by offset program projects; and

(B) Cost, including materials, labor, and administrative costs, per unit metric ton of carbon dioxide reduction;

(4) A procedure, based on the information developed through paragraphs (1) and (3), for calculating the fee to be assessed to an agency for the amount of carbon offset in metric tons that is equivalent to the amount of carbon dioxide emissions attributable to a specific airline trip by an employee of the agency; and

(5) A record system to track the allocation of carbon emission reductions from offset program projects to specific offset requests for employee trips and the remaining offset capacity of any project for future offset requests.

(c) Fees received by the department from state agencies for the carbon offsets to be provided under this section for employee air travel shall be used by the department to defray the costs of the offset program projects implemented through the carbon offset program.

(d) In administering the carbon offset program, the department may contract with public or private entities to implement offset program projects, such as the planting of trees.

(e) The department may adopt rules, pursuant to chapter 91, to effectuate the purposes of this chapter."

SECTION 2. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2020.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	2629
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2020
STATE OF HAWAII