H.B. 2719 Summary

• Establishes the Hawaii Clean Economy Initiative Advisory Board within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to advise the state on transitioning to a clean energy economy that sequesters more atmospheric carbon than it produces by 2045.

• Creates an executive director position (appointed by the governor) to serve as board chair, plus four additional members representing the private sector, nonprofit sector, education, and county governments.

• Renames the "Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative Program" to the "Hawaii Clean Economy Initiative Program" and expands its scope to include clean transportation economy transitions alongside clean energy efforts.

• Extends the implementation timeline for the program's transition plans from 2030 to 2045 and adds carbon sequestration as an explicit goal alongside renewable energy resources.

• Appropriates funds from the energy security special fund for fiscal year 2018-2019 to support the executive director position and advisory board activities, with the board required to submit annual reports to the legislature.