100% does not mean 100% -- Hawaii Greenhouse Gas Rules Just as Fake as Renewable Energy Rules
by Henry Curtis, Imiloa Media, May 24, 2018 (excerpt): …the RPS calculation can create weird results. Depending upon how … generators are configured … the percent of renewable energy-based electricity …, as reported in regulatory filings, can be 0 percent, 50 percent, 100 percent, or infinite percent. …
The highly complex legislative language can be reduced ten-fold with simplicity and transparency, but the legislature has not done so since the RPS standard was established in 2001.
Now comes the new legislative mandate of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. Guess what? asserts Life of the Land. Net zero does not mean zero. Hawai`i can cause a global rise in greenhouse gas emissions and call it net zero.
Like the RPS, the net-zero definition found in HB 2182 is politically-manipulated to meet multiple needs: the legislative desire to go green while not pissing off the fossil fuel industry; the need to promote change while protecting the status quo; the desire to avoid taking bold public positions which may be perceived to impact reelection; the desire to please all sides.
Organizations, legislators, and utilities can score national media points and raise funds based on bold statements that lack substance.
Newspapers and social media columns continually publish fake news statements like this statement made by a Hawai`i media site today: “State law essentially requires 100 percent of electricity HECO sells by 2045 to be produced from renewable resources.”
Hawaii legislators also passed a bill during the 2018 legislative session on climate change induced sea level rise. If a proposed project will be IMPACTED by sea level rise, the impact must be analyzed. If a proposed project will CAUSE sea level rise, that is not a trigger requiring an environmental impact statement.
The State of Hawai`i and Hawaiian Electric adopted the Hawai`i Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI) in 2008 but did not define clean energy until 2013. Clean energy is now defined in a way no one would call clean or green….
read … Life of the Land Questions Value of New Hawai`i Greenhouse Gas Bills
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GOVERNOR DAVID IGE SIGNS BILLS TO SET CARBON-NEUTRAL GOAL AND COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE
News Release from Office of the Governor, Jun 4, 2018
HONOLULU – Gov. David Ige signed today three bills that set a carbon-neutral goal by 2045, create a carbon offset program and require a sea-level rise analysis in environmental impact statements.
“Climate change is real and we’re seeing its impacts right now in our island state. Taken together, this suite of bills establishes policies and programs that acknowledge and address this reality” said Gov. Ige.
HB2182 – Makes Hawaiʻi carbon neutral by 2045 and establishes the Greenhouse Gas Sequestration Task Force. HB 2182 becomes Act 15 and takes effect on July 1, 2018.
“One year ago, Hawaiʻi became the first state to adopt a law aligning with the Paris agreement to combat climate change. Today we take the next step and pledge to be carbon-neutral by 2045, the same year we expect to reach our goal of generating 100 percent of our electricity from clean, renewable sources,” said Gov. Ige.
HB1986 – Creates a framework for a carbon offset program that allows for carbon credits through global carbon sequestration protocols. HB 1986 becomes Act 16 and takes effect on July 1, 2018.
“We see tremendous potential for restoration, protection and management of forest areas in Hawaiʻi to offer cost-efficient climate change mitigation. That’s why this framework for capturing carbon through reforestation and carbon farming is an important step forward,” Gov. Ige said.
HB2106 – Requires a sea level rise analysis in environmental impact statements before building projects. HB 2106 becomes Act 17 and takes effect upon approval.
“Sea level rise is already having an impact on beaches, roadways and homes near the shoreline. As a result, we face difficult land-use decisions, and requiring an analysis of sea level rise before beginning construction is just plain common sense,” said Gov. Ige.
For more information about the State of Hawaii’s response to the global climate crisis visit, http://climate.hawaii.gov/.
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SA: Gov. David Ige signs 3 bills combating climate change into law
PBN: Hawaii sets vision for carbon-free future – Now it's time to execute
HNN: Hawaii sets ambitious goal: Carbon neutral by 2045