Summary/Abstract
This bill establishes a permanent Greenhouse Gas Sequestration Task Force within the Office of Planning to:
- Establish a baseline for greenhouse gas emissions within Hawaii and short- and long-term benchmarks for increasing greenhouse gas sequestration in the State’s agricultural and natural environment;
- Identify appropriate criteria to measure baseline levels and increases in greenhouse gas sequestration, improvements in soil health, increases in agricultural and aquacultural product yield and quality attributable to greenhouse gas sequestration and improvements in soil health, and other key indicators of greenhouse gas benefits from beneficial agricultural and aquacultural practices that may be used to create a certification program for promoting agricultural and aquacultural practices that generate greenhouse gas benefits and agricultural and aquacultural production benefits;
- Identify land and marine use policies, agricultural policies, agroforestry policies, and mitigation options that would encourage agricultural and aquacultural practices and land use practices that would promote increased greenhouse gas sequestration, build healthy soils, and provide greenhouse gas benefits;
- Identify ways to increase the generation and use of compost in Hawaii to build healthy soils;
- Identify practices and policies that add trees or vegetation to expand the urban tree canopy in urban areas to reduce ambient temperatures, increase climate resiliency, and improve greenhouse gas sequestration in Hawaii;
- Make recommendations to the legislature and governor regarding measures that would increase climate resiliency, build healthy soils, provide greenhouse gas benefits, or cool urban areas;
- Develop incentives and funding mechanisms for these incentives, including but not limited to;
- Loans, tax credits, or grants;
- Research;
- Technical assistance; or
- Educational materials and outreach