Relating To The Greenhouse Gas Sequestration Task Force.
Summary
SB1336 repeals the statutory Greenhouse Gas Sequestration Task Force in Hawaii Revised Statutes section 225P-4. The bill removes the task force’s legal establishment, its listed objectives, membership structure, reporting duties, and administrative support provisions from law. In effect, it ends the formal requirement that the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development maintain this task force and submit recurring reports on greenhouse gas sequestration strategies.
The bill also amends the uses of the Hawaii state energy office’s special fund under section 201-12.8 by deleting the reference that allowed funding, to the extent possible, for the greenhouse gas sequestration task force. Other authorized uses of the fund remain intact, including clean energy initiatives, the climate change mitigation and adaptation commission, zero-emissions economy targets, clean transportation infrastructure, and energy conservation code work. The measure therefore narrows one specific climate-policy funding authorization while leaving the broader clean energy funding framework in place.
Impact
If enacted, SB1336 would repeal section 225P-4 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes and eliminate the task force’s statutory mandate, reporting schedule, and membership provisions. It would also remove the task force from the list of entities eligible for support from the Hawaii state energy office’s fund, reducing the scope of climate-related expenditures authorized under section 201-12.8. The bill primarily affects state agencies involved in planning, agriculture, land use, and climate policy, as well as stakeholders who had participated in or relied on the task force’s recommendations.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests the bill moved smoothly at least in its first committee stop, passing the Senate Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs committee 5-0 and without amendment. There are no transcript excerpts showing debate or opposition, so the recorded sentiment appears neutral to favorable in committee, or at minimum not contentious at that stage. The bill’s framing as a repeal measure indicates a policy shift away from maintaining a dedicated task force rather than a broad expansion of climate programs.
Contention
Because no committee transcript is provided, specific objections are not documented. The most likely point of contention is whether repealing the task force would weaken coordination on greenhouse gas sequestration, soil health, composting, urban canopy expansion, and agricultural or aquacultural climate practices. Supporters may view the repeal as eliminating an outdated or duplicative body, while opponents could argue that removing the task force reduces focused attention on climate resilience and agricultural carbon sequestration. Any disagreement would likely center on the value of a dedicated advisory body versus consolidating those functions elsewhere.