Last Thursday, the Hawai'i House Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection had a busy session hearing several controversial bills relating to geothermal energy.
Chairman Denny Coffman introduced HB2689, which seeks to exempt slim-hole, or exploratory, geothermal test wells from any sort of environmental review as is currently required under Chapter 343 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes.
Gary Hooser, director of the Office of Environmental Quality Control (OEQC) gave testimony in opposition of HB2689. “We don’t like blanket exemptions,” said Hooser before the committee. “We think each action–each project–should be evaluated to its own standards.
“All we’re asking for, fundamentally, is that someone in the state look at the projects and be willing to say, ‘Yes,’ or ‘No,’” Hooser added.
The bill does paint a mental image of geothermal contractors coming to Hawaii and drilling test holes with reckless abandon in hopes of hitting some sort of renewable energy gold mine. But Guy Kaulukukui, the deputy director of the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), disagrees.
“It’s not in the best interest of the developer to drill everywhere,” says Kaulukukui. “We know that every well that they sink costs them money, so they are going to be very efficient in the number of wells that they sink. They are going to do research before they attempt to do that.”
Others in support of the bill included Arthur Seki of Hawaii Electric Light Company (HELCO) and Mililani Trask of Indigenous Consultants LLC.
Robert Harris of the Sierra Club was among those opposed. “This is a 6,000 foot hole being dug through the aquifer,” said Harris. “It’s not something that is insignificant, and it’s plainly something that deserves some review.”
HB2689 seeks to differentiate between “geothermal resources exploration” and “geothermal resources development.” The bill also seeks to permit both practices in all state land use and conservation districts and looks to exempt all the above practices from having to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
