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When the state’s green energy policy first started taking shape during the administration of Gov. Linda Lingle, it was seen as much less politically divisive than it is now. Ending a reliance on fossil fuels was seen as a win-win: Hawaii-produced renewable energy would keep more money in the local economy, and the reduction of greenhouse gases already was recognized as an imperative.
It still took a push, but through an alliance with the Republican-led federal Department of Energy in 2008, the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative was born. Over the years and through two Democratic administrations, it developed with added legislation and regulatory action pegged to a firm 2045 deadline for Hawaii to hit its 100% renewable-energy target.
For now, Hawaii remains on track with its clean-
energy advances, with regulation backed by legislative measures, including four that were enacted just this week. But nationally, last week’s ruling at the close of the U.S. Supreme Court calendar makes national progress far less certain.
In West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency, the court found that a 2015 EPA rule dubbed the “Clean Power Plan” was not authorized under the federal Clean Air Act, and that further congressional action would be needed to support the plan.
This rule intended to set emissions goals for power plants in each state, aimed at shifting energy production away from coal toward technologies generating far less carbon dioxide. The EPA later repealed the rule and planned to replace it, but the Supreme Court’s 6-3 majority opinion concluded basically that a shift of this magnitude could not be handled simply through administrative rulemaking by the agency.
This is an untenable decision, given the political stagnation on Capitol Hill. And it is the EPA, not Congress, that is equipped with the foundational technical expertise and data needed for change.
It will require a sustained and unified national campaign — indeed, a global effort — to move the needle in this difficult challenge.
Failing to make a significant reduction in emissions by transitioning to cleaner energy sources will only continue fueling cataclysmic climate instability documented daily. Fires, floods, tornadoes and drought should be compelling change at a radically accelerated pace.
Instead, in addition to the court’s short-sighted ruling, there is a political divide on the issue of governmental administrative power behind major policy changes. The result has been a crippling blow to the critical fight against climate change.
America’s uneven response to this global problem also undercuts the U.S. influence with other nations the Biden administration is trying to enlist. It is impossible to lead on the international front when one’s own national commitment is so halting.
Locally, the news is better. Four new laws are in place. These include a key clarification that Hawaii’s 100% renewable-energy goal applies to energy generation, not just sales.
There also are newly authorized $200,000 rebates for hydrogen vehicle fuel stations; funds for a study on further statewide reductions in greenhouse gas emissions; and required energy-efficiency improvements in more state buildings.
The state meanwhile will need to sharpen its focus on mitigation efforts to deal with sea-level rise; climate effects won’t be blunted with the currently inconsistent national response.
In spite of this dispiriting development, it is important that Hawaii stay the course, along with other aligned states. Modeling a more forward-looking policy is the only way to show the leadership needed, but now sorely lacking, from the entire nation.