Committee approves one‑year nuclear working group despite strong public opposition

The House Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce voted on April 16, 2025 to pass SCR 136 SD1 HD1, directing the Hawaii State Energy Office to convene a nuclear energy working group to study the feasibility of advanced nuclear technologies for the state. The committee adopted amendments to make the group a one‑year interim working group, and the committee set the interim report due in 2026 and removed the requirement for a final report before the 2027 Legislature; the committee’s action was recorded as passing the measure out as a House Draft 2 with technical amendments possible.

The measure drew multiple registered opponents during the public testimony portion of the hearing. Sherry Pollock of 350 Hawaii testified, "350 Hawaii stands in strong opposition to this measure," and raised concerns that the measure's text contained what she described as "factually inaccurate information" and criticized the process by which the bill was amended, saying many members of the public would not have known the new text and therefore could not testify. Mike Ewan of Energy Justice Network told the committee that small modular reactors (SMRs) are currently expensive and unproven, saying the federal Energy Information Administration's cost documentation shows SMRs among the most expensive forms of power.

Monique Zamfas of the Hawaii State Energy Office told the committee that the office stands on its written comments and that levelized cost of energy for the technologies in question is currently "around 7 to 10 times what other firm technologies are," adding that SMRs are very limited in deployment globally and that "there's only 3 in the world operational." She said the office continues to monitor developments and would want to see domestic deployment before recommending introduction of the technology in an island state. Julie Riff, testifying as an individual, said the resolution would divert limited state resources from renewable alternatives and urged the committee to defer the measure.

Committee debate touched on resource allocation and readiness. Representative Iwamoto told the committee, "I'll be voting no," citing concerns about allocating scarce state resources to a study when the technology does not appear ready. Other members said a Hawaii‑based study could provide clarity and help focus future efforts if necessary.

Despite the opposition in testimony and a recorded no vote from Rep. Iwamoto, the committee's vice chair recommendation to pass SCR 136 SD1 HD1 with amendments was adopted. The committee recorded the recommendation as passing to a House draft 2 and set the working group’s reporting schedule to produce an interim report in 2026. The committee noted the possibility of technical amendments.