Bill
HCR 93
Hawaii will oppose nuclear energy and prioritize renewable solutions to meet a 2045 100% renewables goal, citing safety, costs, and long-term waste concerns.
Status and procedural history
- Type: Concurrent resolution (non‑binding legislative statement of policy)
- Introduced: March 3, 2025 (Sponsor: Rep. Belatti)
- Key actions: Referred to committees (Culture, Recreation & Tourism; Energy & Environmental Protection). House adopted May 1, 2025; Senate adopted May 14, 2025; sent to Governor May 16, 2025; signed by the Governor May 28, 2025.
- Companion: HR 89
Purpose and intent
- The resolution declares the State of Hawaii’s commitment to uphold the State Constitution’s ban on nuclear fission power plants without legislative approval (Article XI, §8) and to oppose the use of nuclear energy in Hawaii.
- It affirms prioritizing investments in renewable energy and continuing progress toward Hawaii’s 100% renewable electricity goal by 2045 (Act 97, 2015).
Key provisions / substantive content
- Expresses concerns and findings, including:
- Transportation of nuclear fuel poses special hazards for an island chain like Hawaii.
- Emergency planning zones cited from the NRC: a typical 10‑mile immediate radius and a broader 50‑mile “ingestion pathway” for food/water contamination.
- Hawaii’s geological risks (earthquakes, volcanic activity, tsunamis) make long‑term storage of nuclear waste especially problematic; the resolution cites scientist estimates that high‑level waste may require maintenance for ~200,000 years.
- The economic, health, and social costs of nuclear accidents can be vast, referencing historical accidents (Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, Fukushima).
- Skepticism about proposed “new” reactor technologies (SMRs, molten salt, thorium, pebble bed, integral fast reactors) as unproven, potentially unsafe, and expensive.
- Notes Hawaii State Energy Office assessments that nuclear would be an expensive energy option and could divert resources from proven renewables.
- Resolves that the Legislature will oppose nuclear energy in Hawaii and prioritize clean renewable solutions.
- Directs that certified copies of the resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Attorney General, Chair of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, Director of the Office of Planning, and county mayors.
Effect and impact
- Legal effect: As a concurrent resolution, HCR 93 is non‑binding and does not change state law or regulations. Instead it expresses the formal position of the Legislature and requests that executive and local officials be informed.
- Practical impact: Signals legislative policy opposition to nuclear proposals, may influence state and local planning, deter consideration of nuclear projects, and reinforce focus on renewable energy planning and investments. It communicates to agencies, utilities, developers, and the public the Legislature’s stance on nuclear energy in Hawaii.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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