The following testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii for consideration by the Honolulu City Council’s Committee on Housing, Sustainability and Health on Aug. 21, 2024.
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Aug. 21, 2024, 1 p.m.
Honolulu Hale
To: Honolulu City Council, Committee on Housing, Sustainability and Health
Matt Weyer, Chair
Esther Kiaʻāina, Vice Chair
From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Ted Kefalas, Director of Strategic Campaigns
RE: Bill 40 (2024) — RELATING TO PROFESSIONAL SELF-CERTIFICATION
Aloha Chair Weyer, Vice-Chair Kiaʻāina and other members of the Committee,
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii supports Bill 40 (2024), which would allow building permits for solar, energy storage and energy-efficiency projects for multi-family dwellings and commercial buildings to be approved through self-certification.
Expanding self-certification to energy-related projects would speed up their deployment and cut down the existing permitting backlog, allowing the city Department of Planning and Permitting staff to focus more on complicated projects.
The Council created a self-certification program for certain projects at the end of 2023 with Ordinance 23-29. This program allows qualified architects and engineers to self-approve their building permits, subject to several requirements.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Ted Kefalas
Director of Strategic Campaigns
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
