Hawaii legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Hawaii HCR206: Requesting the Hawaii State Energy Office to Convene a Working Group to Study the Potential Impacts of Large Data Centers on Hawaii's Electric Utilities, Ratepayers, Natural Resources, and Climate Goals.
Status: Passed both chambers, April 27, 2026
What the bill says
From the engrossed text:
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ~ IN THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026 H.D. I STATE OF HAWAII HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE HAWAII STATE ENERGY OFFICE TO CONVENE A WORKING GROUP TO STUDY THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF LARGE DATA CENTERS ON HAWAII'S ELECTRIC UTILITIES, RATEPAYERS, NATURAL RESOURCES, AND CLIMATE GOALS. WHEREAS, rapid advances in artificial intelligence and cloud computing have led to a dramatic increase in the construction of large-scale data centers, including "hyperscale" facilities that house thousands of servers and require massive amounts of electricity to operate; and WHEREAS, these facilities are essential components of the digital economy but are also among the most energy-intensive types of commercial infrastructure; and WHEREAS, data centers consumed approximately 4.4 percent of total electricity in the United States in 2023 and could consume between 6.7 percent and twelve percent of total electricity by 2028 as demand for artificial intelligence computing continues to expand; and WHEREAS, the rapid growth in electricity demand from data centers has raised concerns among policymakers across the United States that large new power loads may require costly investments in new generation, transmission, and grid infrastructure; and WHEREAS, without appropriate regulatory safeguards, the costs of such infrastructure investments may be borne by existing residential and small-business ratepayers rather than by the data center developers whose projects create the demand for those upgrades; and WHEREAS, …
Sponsors
- Nicole Lowen (D, 7) · primary sponsor
- Terez Amato (D, 11)
- Della Belatti (D, 26)
- Tina Grandinetti (D, 20)
- Jeanne Kapela (D, 5)
- Susan Keohokapu-Lee Loy (D, 2)
- Matthias Kusch (D, 1)
- Lisa Marten (D, 51)
- Tyson Miyake (D, 10)
- Amy Perruso (D, 46)
- Mahina Poepoe (D, 13)
- Shirley Ann Templo (D, 30)
Latest actions
- : Resolution adopted in final form.
- : Returned from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 777).
- : Report and Resolution Adopted. Transmitted to House.
- : One Day Notice 04-27-26.
- : Reported from EIG/AEN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3922) with recommendation of adoption.
- : The committee(s) on EIG recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes in EIG were as follows: 5 Aye(s): Senator(s) Wakai, Chang, DeCoite, Richards, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.
- : The committee(s) on AEN recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes in AEN were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Gabbard, Rhoads, Awa; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 2 Excused: Senator(s) Richards, DeCoite.
- : The committee(s) on EIG deferred the measure until 04-21-26 2:00PM; Conference Room 225 & Videoconference.
- : The committee(s) on EIG/AEN has scheduled a public hearing on 04-17-26 3:00PM; Conference Room 224 & Videoconference.
- : Referred to EIG/AEN.
Votes
- EIG: recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED (April 21, 2026): 5 yea, 0 nay, passed
- AEN: recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED (April 17, 2026): 3 yea, 0 nay, passed
- Adopted with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran excused (1) (April 9, 2026): 50 yea, 0 nay, passed
- FIN: recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED (April 7, 2026): 15 yea, 0 nay, passed
- Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN as amended in HD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0) (April 1, 2026): 51 yea, 0 nay, passed
- EEP: recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS (March 24, 2026): 5 yea, 0 nay, passed
Subjects: Report, Working Group, Study
Common questions
- What is HCR206?
- HCR206 is a bill in the Hawaii Legislature (2026 Regular Session): Requesting the Hawaii State Energy Office to Convene a Working Group to Study the Potential Impacts of Large Data Centers on Hawaii's Electric Utilities, Ratepayers, Natural Resources, and Climate Goals.
- What is the status of HCR206?
- Passed both chambers as of April 27, 2026. Latest action: Resolution adopted in final form. (April 27, 2026).
- Who sponsored HCR206?
- Nicole Lowen (D, 7), with 11 co-sponsors.
- Where is the official record for HCR206?
- On the Hawaii Legislature website: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HCR&billnumber=206&year=2026
Source: official Hawaii record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.