Landmark Legislation: Hawaii Aims for Carbon Neutrality by 2045

Hawaii Builds on its 100% RPS and Passes Bill to go 100% Carbon Neutral by 2045

In June, the Hawaii legislature passed Representative Chris Lee’s HB 2182, making Hawaii the first state in the nation to set a goal of 100% carbon neutrality by 2045. The bill was created to complement Hawaii’s existing bill that aims for 100% renewable energy by 2045 (HB 623) by offsetting emissions from sectors like transportation and agriculture, as well as sequestering carbon through reforestation and other efforts.

HB 2182 updates Hawaii’s Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Initiative to legally set and achieve a goal of statewide carbon neutrality no later than 2045 and requires that all state agencies incorporate this goal into their decision-making processes. This bill also formally establishes a Greenhouse Gas Sequestration Task Force. This working group will ultimately establish benchmarks for sequestration and develop recommendations and policies to strengthen Hawaii’s sequestration infrastructure and overall climate resiliency.

HB 2182 begins by stating that at current rates, Hawaii is projected to incur $19 billion in damages due to projected sea level rise. Achieving carbon neutrality will be both economically and environmentally vital.

Visit NEC’s Climate and Energy page for more information or head to www.envriolaws.org, a collaboration between NEC and the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, if you have any questions or would like more information about climate and energy policy.