Bill > HB318

This bill authorizes the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) to establish and approve conservation banks, which are sites designed to restore, create, enhance, or protect populations of threatened, endangered, candidate, or proposed species and their habitats. The bill introduces a new legal framework that allows public or private entities (called "bank sponsors") to create conservation banks that generate "credits" representing improvements in species population or habitat quality. These credits can be used as compensatory mitigation for entities that need to offset adverse environmental impacts as part of an approved incidental take license and habitat conservation plan. The legislation aims to provide more predictability and efficiency in environmental conservation efforts by creating a standardized mechanism for mitigating ecological damage. Specifically, the bill defines key terms like "conservation bank," "credit," and "compensatory mitigation," and establishes a process for DLNR to approve conservation bank instruments that outline the terms, conditions, and performance criteria for these ecological preservation efforts. The bill recognizes that conservation banks can increase certainty in mitigation obligations, expedite project reviews, and make project costs more predictable for entities requiring environmental permits.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=318&year=2026