SB2753 ensures that state and county building codes cannot prohibit the use of substitute refrigerants approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This legislation aligns Hawaii's building codes with federal efforts under the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020, which mandates an 85% reduction in hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants—potent greenhouse gases—by 2035. By facilitating the transition to these alternatives, the law supports Hawaii's climate goals and provides instructions for manufacturers and builders forced to adapt to new federal regulations.
The Hawaii State House of Representatives passed SB2753 on May 1, 2024 by a vote of 49 to 2. We have assigned pluses to the nays because this bill surrenders state sovereignty to federal bureaucrats and global environmental agendas. By aligning state policy with mandates from the EPA and the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act—laws rooted in the broader goals of the United Nations’ Agenda 2030—it invites federal and international control over private industry. Such overreach infringes on the 10th Amendment’s protection of state sovereignty, the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of individual rights, and the God-given rights to "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." Furthermore, this legislation expands government interference under the guise of environmentalism. States must resist by nullifying these unconstitutional mandates.
