The Hawaii Environmental Council will consider loosening regulations on geothermal exploration Thursday.
The proposed rule changes, requested by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, would add exploratory leases, exploratory well drilling, and “noninvasive” geothermal exploration to the list of activities not required to have an environmental impact statement.
The document acts as an assessment of a proposed project’s impact on the environment, economy, social welfare and cultural practices of a community.