Relating To A Program To Characterize Carbon Sequestration Potential And Underground Water Resources Statewide.
HB1020 establishes a new statewide program within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to characterize carbon sequestration potential, underground water resources, and geothermal resources using slim-hole boring exploration. The bill’s stated purpose is to identify the location and characteristics of these underground resources across Hawaii, with the legislature citing potential benefits for agriculture, clean energy, and land use planning.
The program must be carried out in collaboration with the University of Hawaii’s Hawaii Groundwater and Geothermal Resources Center, or a similar institution, and must include a statewide environmental assessment under chapter 343. The bill also requires the department and its collaborators to consult with counties and nearby communities before and during the assessment to explain the project and identify community needs, concerns, and suitable locations for boring activities. In addition, the department must submit a progress report to the legislature by early 2028, and the report must be made publicly available in accessible formats, including mapping software.
HB1020 would add a new statutory program to chapter 196 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes and direct DBEDT to lead a statewide scientific and planning effort focused on carbon sequestration, groundwater, and geothermal resource characterization. It also authorizes appropriations from the energy security special fund and general revenues to support program activities and permanent staff positions, and it requires a statewide environmental assessment under chapter 343 before implementation proceeds. The bill would therefore affect state resource planning, environmental review, and agency budgeting, while potentially informing future policy on water, energy, and land use.
The available voting history suggests generally favorable sentiment toward the bill, as it advanced through Senate committees with unanimous or near-unanimous support and was passed by the Senate Ways and Means Committee 13-0 with amendments. The committee action indicates broad interest in the bill’s scientific and planning goals, though the amendments suggest members sought to refine its scope or implementation. No committee transcripts were provided, so the record does not show detailed floor or committee debate beyond the votes.
The main likely points of contention are the use of slim-hole boring, the need for a statewide environmental assessment, and the extent of community consultation before drilling occurs. Because the bill contemplates exploration activities across the state, counties, nearby communities, civic organizations, and environmental stakeholders may be concerned about siting, land impacts, and whether the program could lead to future development or extraction. Fiscal issues may also be debated, since the bill includes unspecified appropriations and permanent positions, and the final effective date of July 1, 3000 suggests the measure may be a placeholder or drafting anomaly rather than an immediately operative program.