New law establishes clean fuel standard in Hawaii

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A new law aims to cut Hawaii’s carbon footprint by establishing a clean fuel standard to reduce transportation emissions.

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Gov. Josh Green signed into law Wednesday, which calls for a performance‑based system enforced by the Hawaii Department of Transportation that rewards cleaner fuels with credits and assigns deficits to more carbon‑intensive fuels.

“A resilient Hawaii is defined by sustainable systems,” said Green. “These investments reinforce a commitment to building co-beneficial models, allowing economic opportunities to give way to a cleaner, low-carbon future.”

Officials say a clean fuel standard supports local agriculture and renewable energy industries, and expands markets for homegrown renewable fuels and materials, including options that can turn waste products into energy sources.

“This is a huge opportunity to create new reinvestment in lower-cost, cleaner transportation options for local residents, using a model already proven in other states,” said state Sen. Chris Lee, who introduced the bill.

The measure calls for the implementation of a clean fuel standard for alternative fuels by Jan. 1, 2028, and a clean fuel standard for diesel and gasoline by Jan. 1, 2029.

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The standards must be developed through a transparent, public rule-making process.

“We saw in our… waste reduction report that clean fuels is the biggest opportunity for us to remove emissions from our environment, and we’re going to be working hard on that,” said transportation director Ed Sniffen.

Under the program, the HDOT must set lifecycle emissions‑reduction benchmarks and develop a phased plan that steadily lowers transportation fuel carbon intensity, including reaching at least 10% below 2019 levels by 2035 and 50% below 2019 levels by 2045.

Public engagement, regular reporting and stakeholder input will be posted on the HDOT’s Energy Security, Community and Culture Portal.

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