LIHU‘E — Local state representatives met with advocates on Wednesday, to discuss climate bills still alive near the end of the Hawai‘i State Legislature’s 2022 session.
Legislation targeting plastic microbeads and electric-vehicle infrastructure were among topics that sparked a give-and-take between state Reps. Dee Morikawa (representing Ni‘ihau, Westside and portions of South Shore), Jimmy Tokioka (Eastside and portions of South Shore) and attendees of this month’s online Kaua‘i Climate Action Forum.
Microbeads are tiny bits of plastic used as exfoliants and cleansers in many health and beauty products.
“They go through wastewater treatment plants right out into the ocean,” said climate activist Ted Bohlen, a guest presenter and former state deputy attorney general.
“They collect toxins, they harm the corals, they move up the food chain and are consumed by lots of animals … even into seafood that people eat,” Bohlen continued.
The federal government already prohibits rinse-off cosmetics containing plastic microbeads. But Hawai‘i Senate Bill No. 2290 would ban “leave-on” microbead products, like certain deodorants and sunscreens, as well.
Morikawa and Tokioka were circumspect, when talking about the measure.
“When we ban products, we must be careful about the unintended banning of products that are absolutely necessary,” Morikawa said. “I don’t think we’ve had enough time to actually delve into what these products may be.”
Tokioka appeared slightly more inclined toward the bill.
“I still have some concerns about it,” he said. “But I’m getting closer to being totally supportive of it.”
An amended version of the measure passed its third reading in the House and was sent to the Senate for final reading on Thursday, April 14.
SB2196 would effectively require new multi-family housing projects to be “electric vehicle charger ready,” if the planned site has 10 or more parking stalls.
However, the measure’s future is unclear, as the Senate issued a notice of disagreement regarding House amendments on April 12.
Bohlen argued Hawai‘i must increase its use of electric transportation, to meet its own goal and become 100% carbon neutral by 2045.
(The state had 13,423 registered electric passenger vehicles on its roads in 2020, according to the most recent data from the Hawai‘i State Energy Office. Of that total, 396 EVs were registered in Kaua‘i County.)
Single-family homeowners can often plug their EVs into their garages and charge overnight.
“It’s very convenient,” Bohlen said. “But for people who live in multifamily housing, it’s really inconvenient, and we’re not going to get them to switch to electric cars unless they also have chargers.”
But Morikawa pushed back against SB2196, raising concerns about presumed cost increases.
“That’s going to drive up the cost of affordable housing, and may not be needed for some who don’t need vehicles or cannot afford electric vehicles,” Morikawa said. “… I believe that industries are moving in the right direction, and don’t necessarily need laws to dictate that direction.”
Tokioka, when broadly addressing sustainable energy policy, claimed the issue “is not as simple as any of us could think.”
Citing the ever-changing nature of the industry, Tokioka expressed a cautious stance toward chargers.
“We need to put the infrastructure in,” the state representative said. “But in the time we started putting in electric chargers in some of the buildings and facilities that the state has, these chargers are outdated.
“This was only within the last six to eight years, that some of these charges are outdated,” Tokioka continued. “Then we have new chargers that we have to prepare for.”
Kaua‘i’s third state representative, Nadine Nakamura, (North Shore and portions of Eastside) did not attend Wednesday’s Climate Action Forum, due to a prior engagement. She issued pre-recorded video statement instead.
State Senate President Ron Kouchi (Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau) was also scheduled to attend, but was called away to a meeting with Gov. David Ige.
The forum also featured Melodie Aluja, a former state senator from O‘ahu and current co-chair of the state Democratic Party’s Environmental Caucus.
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Scott Yunker, reporter, can be reached at 245-0437 or syunker@thegardenisland.com.
