Bill > SB735

This bill requires owners of waste combustion facilities to implement comprehensive continuous monitoring and sampling technologies for a wide range of air contaminants, including carbon dioxide, heavy metals, toxic chemicals like dioxins and furans, and particulate matter. The bill mandates the creation of a publicly accessible website hosted by the Department of Health that will display real-time emissions data in an easy-to-understand format, with color-coded violations and detailed trend charts. Waste combustion facilities must submit monitoring plans by October 1, 2025, and begin implementation within three months of plan approval. The legislation aims to address current limitations in emissions monitoring, such as annual stack testing that does not capture emissions during startup, shutdown, or malfunction conditions. The bill also requires the Department of Health to report to the Legislature annually and provides funding for purchasing monitoring equipment, website development, data enforcement, and establishing new positions. Importantly, the bill notes that initially, the new monitoring data will not be used for enforcement purposes until the director determines its reliability, with a gradual transition to potential permit limit adjustments based on the continuous monitoring data. The goal is to more accurately track industrial air pollution and its potential health impacts, particularly in communities near waste combustion facilities.

Health and Social Services

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=735&year=2025