Hawaii Senate Bill SB735

Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/17/25
• Refer: 1/23/25

Caption

Relating To Health.

Impact

If enacted, SB735 would amend Chapter 342B of Hawaii’s Revised Statutes by requiring waste combustion facilities to develop and implement plans for the continuous monitoring of specified contaminants, including carbon dioxide, dioxins, and particulate matter. The law aims to safeguard public health by ensuring that emission data is made available on a publicly accessible website managed by the Department of Health. This increased transparency is expected to allow better scrutiny and accountability of waste management practices while also fostering public trust in environmental regulations. Furthermore, the bill allocates funds for implementing monitoring systems and maintaining the requisite infrastructure to facilitate this reporting.

Summary

SB735 is a legislative bill aimed at addressing the air pollution concerns associated with waste combustion facilities in Hawaii. The bill mandates that owners of such facilities implement continuous monitoring and sampling technologies for emissions, which have been criticized for their efficacy. Recent findings indicated that existing methods, largely dependent on intermittent stack testing, fail to accurately reflect real-time emissions, often underestimating the levels of harmful pollutants, including dioxins and furans, which have detrimental effects on public health. The bill is grounded in evidence suggesting that continuous monitoring can provide data more accurately than traditional methods, thus enhancing transparency and community exposure to potential health hazards.

Contention

The discussion surrounding SB735 has focused on the balance between environmental protection and the economic implications for waste combustion facilities. Advocates argue that robust monitoring is essential for protecting vulnerable communities from exposure to toxic emissions, especially during adverse weather conditions that can exacerbate pollution issues. Conversely, there are concerns about the potential financial burden that stringent monitoring requirements may place on facility operators and their capacity to comply without incurring significant costs. As such, the bill highlights the tension between advancing environmental safeguards and supporting industrial operations, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive approach to waste management that prioritizes health outcomes.