HB 2493 Summary

• Establishes the Hawaii Farmland and Forest Soil Health Carbon Smart Incentive Program to compensate landowners, land managers, and lessees for implementing carbon sequestration and soil health practices through incentives contracts lasting 1 to 30 years.

• Defines eligible practices in two phases: Phase I activities (reforestation, conservation tillage, rotational grazing, nutrient management, etc.) and Phase II activities (perennial biofuel feedstocks, methane capture, improved forest management, conservation easements).

• Creates a reviewing committee led by the Board of Land and Natural Resources chairperson to evaluate program applications and submit annual reports to the legislature on carbon reductions, acres enrolled, and program changes.

• Prioritizes activities that are cost-effective, provide co-benefits (job creation, food security, water security, biodiversity), and serve historically disadvantaged communities.

• Appropriates funds for fiscal year 2022-2023 for program administration and five full-time equivalent positions at the Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority, plus positions at the Department of Agriculture and Department of Land and Natural Resources.