Bill > SB1178

This bill permanently establishes the Hawaii Carbon Smart Land Management Assistance Program within the Department of Land and Natural Resources, transforming a previous pilot program into a long-term initiative. The program will provide financial incentives to landowners and lessees who implement carbon sequestration and soil health practices, with contracts ranging from one to thirty years. Eligible practices are divided into two phases: Phase I activities include reforestation, conservation tillage, improved forages, nutrient management, and crop rotations, while Phase II activities involve more complex strategies like perennial biofuel feedstocks and methane capture. The department will administer the program by establishing compensation rates, monitoring contract compliance, developing sequestration modeling resources, and prioritizing activities that are cost-effective, create jobs, support food security, and provide additional environmental benefits like increased biodiversity and water security. The bill appropriates $2,000,000 for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 to support the program, including funding for a full-time equivalent position, and aims to leverage indigenous land management practices and traditional ecological knowledge to enhance climate resilience and carbon sequestration efforts in Hawaii.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=1178&year=2025