Did you know? Here’s the scoops on SB2510

There is a Senate bill on Ige’s desk that changes state energy policy and could be a drastic step backward for our energy transition?

SB2510 establishes a number of unnecessary thresholds for ‘firm’ renewable energy on the grid. SB2510 defines ʻfirm’ energy as energy from sources that are "always available, 24/7, 365 days a year." Examples include biomass and biofuels, where something is burned to generate electricity. Non-'firm' energy, often described as intermittent, would include sources like solar, because it isn't available when the sun isn't out - despite the fact that batteries can provide energy derived from solar even at night.

If signed into law, here is what SB2510 could do:

-Impede the transition to 100% renewable energy.

The State Energy Office, UH's Hawaiʻi Natural Energy Institute, energy industry professionals, environmentalists, and utilities have all warned that arbitrarily creating a minimum percentage of 'firm' renewables and capping the amount of renewable energy that can come from sources like solar- will make it more difficult to meet our 100% renewable energy mandate.

-Reduce distributed energy resources like solar. When solar energy reaches 45% of an islands’ renewable energy portfolio – as has already occurred on Maui, and which is planned to occur soon on Lānaʻi and Kauaʻi – residents and utilities will no longer be able to install rooftop solar panels or develop solar projects which contradicts current federal, state, and county efforts to make rooftop solar more accessible to low-income households.

-Cost residents more--much more. Dean Nishina, executive director of the Hawaiʻi Division of Consumer Advocacy, points out that biomass power plants like Hu Honua on Hawaiʻi Island will be more expensive than alternatives, like solar, and consumers would be locked into paying a higher rate for 30 years.

SB2510's 'firm' renewable energy requirements could force Hawai‘i residents to rely on much more expensive renewable sources, like Hu Honua on Hawaiʻi Island. Similar issues could occur on Oʻahu should the AES coal plant in Kapolei transition to a wood-burning facility.

-Obstruct our climate resilience goals. The kind of biomass energy production that this bill’s mandates would lead to is not helpful to our carbon footprint goals. Burning crops and trees emits more carbon than even coal per unit of energy. Meanwhile, it will take years for this carbon to be recaptured -- simply planting replacement trees will take years to get even close to “carbon neutral.”

Our climate crisis demands that we cut emissions now, not create more emissions that may or may not be recaptured after it is much too late.

SB2510 threatens ecologically sustainable livelihoods. The substantial majority of “long-term jobs” envisioned to be created by these 'firm' renewable requirements will rely on the continual planting, harvesting, and burning of hundreds of thousands of acres worth of trees for fuel. This would require tremendous amounts of water and agricultural lands, and potentially result in myriad environmental impacts – from displacing native species to increasing erosion and runoff to creating soil quality and nutrient cycle issues. Even if such an industry were to be created and sustained, it would foreclose major opportunities to use our limited lands and resources to create a truly sustainable, robust, and home-grown economy that can contribute much more directly to self-sufficiency and climate resiliency.

That was a lot to take in. Fortunately there is something you can do about it.

Please join us in calling/emailing Gov. Ige to urge him to veto this bill.

Sample Script: 

"Hi my name is and I am a resident of _____,____(island). I strongly urge you to veto SB2510 which establishes percentage requirements for renewable energy to be produced from "firm" sources. "Firm" energy sources like biomass and biofuels are devastating to ecosystems, pollute our lands and water, and undermine our goals for carbon reduction and food security. Plus, if islands are forced to meet this mandate, decision-makers might have to pursue more costly energy options that won't relieve our high electricity bills.

Contact:

Phone: (808) 586-0034.....leaving a message helps too!

Email: david.y.ige@hawaii.gov

You can also submit quick and easy testimony online with this helpful guide from our friends Blue Planet Foundation: https://blueplanetfoundation.org/veto-sb2510/

Read more on issues with SB2510 from a recent article in Civil Beat, excerpt below!

Sally Kaye: Gov. Ige Should Veto SB 2510 - It’s An Embarrassment.

Much has recently been written about Senate Bill 2510 and who’s behind it – does it benefit a certain biomass project on the Big Island? Are there politicians who stand to gain if it’s signed into law?

What hasn’t gotten as much attention is what it will do to other islands if they are forced to find no less than 33% firm renewable power from sources such as biodiesel, while using no more than 45% of any one renewable source to power their grids.

I decided to track down how the Legislature came up with these numbers, and boy, did I get an earful: the bill is unworkable; it was written by a lobbyist and pushed through by a particular senator — described as a “bully” by more than one — and many hoped the bill would get the feedback, and veto, it deserved.

Of course, none of the lawmakers who offered these comments would talk on the record, and frankly I don’t really care whether they have the courage to own them.

But one has to ponder, if the bill was so unworkable, why were legislators willing to punt during session when it could have been fixed, only to now kick the proverbial can back up the food chain to the governor? Since when do our elected officials allow lobbyists to write our laws? If a lawmaker is such a bully that no one will stand up to them, maybe they all should find new day jobs. Read the rest.