RELATING TO A PROGRAM TO CHARACTERIZE THE POTENTIAL OF UNDERGROUND ENERGY RESOURCES STATEWIDE.
Reported from EEP (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1216-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to WAL.
Summary
The bill establishes the Underground Energy Resource Characterization Program within the Hawaii State Energy Office, partnering with the University of Hawaii’s groundwater and geothermal center to locate and describe geothermal heat and carbon‑sequestration sites via slim‑hole drilling. It mandates environmental assessments for any identified resource, requires annual reports to the Legislature, and allocates limited funding from the Energy Security Special Fund. The effort is intended to support clean‑energy planning, agriculture, and land‑use decisions while incorporating input from state agencies and Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners.
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