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Joint committees advance geothermal funding bill but bar drilling and restrict siting near existing plants
Summary
Lawmakers voted to advance SB 1269 SD1 after adding language that the appropriation may not be used for drilling, including exploratory or production wells, and disallow funds for work within 15 miles of existing geothermal plants; committee noted $6 million request in the report but blanked appropriation amounts for drafting
The House committees on Energy and Environmental Protection and on Economic Development on March 13 advanced Senate Bill 1269 SD1, a measure that would fund geothermal resource development work, but they added two substantive limits: funds may not be used for drilling (exploratory or production wells), and the appropriation may not be used within a 15-mile radius of an existing geothermal plant that is currently providing electricity to the grid.
Committee members also blanked appropriation amounts for drafting convention while noting the committee report listed a $6,000,000 request; the chair directed staff to reset defective dates for consistency.
Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism deputy director Dean Wicker testified that the appropriation would help DBEDT coordinate site selection, community engagement and risk-reduction activities to bring potential sites to commercial viability, not to finance drilling under the requested appropriation. DBEDT said prior appropriations included a $3 million contract and that the additional $6 million would increase pre-drilling funding to roughly $9 million; DBEDT estimated that moving to the drilling/exploration phase would require about $14 million across its multi-phase roadmap.
Testimony touched on community concerns in Puna, where a utility-scale geothermal plant operates, and committee members pressed DBEDT on why the agency would consider new sites in Puna when capacity there remains underutilized. DBEDT said the appropriation would allow study of multiple candidate sites statewide and increased community engagement to reduce conflict.
Mariah Yoshizo of Ulupono Initiative urged inclusion of all islands in geothermal planning, and Ryan Matsumoto of WICA Consulting spoke in support of the bill. The University of Hawaiʻi-related Hawaii Groundwater and Geothermal Resource Center (HGGRC) had submitted testimony recommending its mapping resources; DBEDT said it would review existing MOAs and coordinate as appropriate.
At decision-making, the joint committees added the restrictions on drilling and siting near existing geothermal plants, blanked appropriation amounts while noting the $6 million figure in committee materials and moved the bill forward with amendments.
What’s next: The bill will advance with the committee’s amendments; additional drafting will specify the final appropriation amount and any contracting approach to carry out the planning and engagement work.
