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Panel advances DHHL geothermal study funding amid heavy public opposition and calls for beneficiary consultation
Summary
The committee advanced HB 1982, which would fund preliminary geothermal exploration by the Department of Hawaiian Homelands. Testimony recorded 46 submissions—41 opposed—centering on historical failures, health concerns, and insufficient beneficiary consultation; DHHL says $5 million requested is for preliminary tests and will conduct outreach.
The House Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee voted to move House Bill 1982 forward after a contentious hearing in which dozens of public commenters urged the legislature not to authorize geothermal exploration on Hawaiian Home Lands without robust beneficiary consent and environmental review.
The Department of Hawaiian Homelands (DHHL) requested funds for preliminary investigative and exploratory work on potential geothermal sites on multiple islands and said it will hold beneficiary informational meetings in April and May. DHHL Director Kyle Watson told lawmakers the department seeks $5 million for preliminary testing and emphasized tests would not, by themselves, build plants: "5,000,000 is to do tests ... We're not gonna build anything with that kind of money," he said.
Opponents pointed to decades‑old projects with poor outcomes. Terry Napiahi of Truth For The People described earlier statewide exploratory efforts and warned against repeating mistakes: "It would be a waste of money ... to do the same thing that Donald Thomas had done in the past," and urged lawmakers not to fund another exploratory round without clearer evidence and community consent.
Committee members pressed DHHL about beneficiary consultation. DHHL said it plans statewide outreach and education to determine whether beneficiaries support testing in specific locales, and that no final sites have been selected. The department also said modern geothermal technology and closed‑loop designs reduce the footprints and risks compared with older projects.
The committee advanced the bill with amendments that make beneficiary consultation and compliance with environmental review explicit in the bill text, and included DHHL’s $5 million request in the committee's standing report for finance. Lawmakers acknowledged the measure is controversial; the vice chair and other members urged DHHL to coordinate consultation and testing in ways that minimize community perception that decisions are preordained.
What happens next: HB 1982 was advanced to the finance committee with instructions to consider DHHL’s $5 million request and to ensure clear statutory requirements for beneficiary consultation and compliance with chapter 343 environmental review.
