Hawaii’s Legislature may want to consider offering new state tax-credit funding for renewable energy expansion to at least partially offset federal withdrawals.

That was a suggestion made to a pair of state Senate committee chairs during a briefing last week about negative impacts on Hawaii climate change mitigation initiatives due to recent federal policy changes and funding pullbacks.

Leah Laramee, coordinator of the Hawai‘i Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission, told Sens. Karl Rhoads and Mike Gabbard at the Nov. 3 briefing that it would be incredibly helpful if more local tax credits were made available for renewable energy and climate change impact mitigation projects in the face of federal cutbacks driven by the administration of President Donald Trump.

Laramee told the senators that about $651 million in Hawaii renewable energy projects are at risk due to federal policy and funding changes.

“It’s a significant investment that is threatened in the state,” she said. “The loss of these projects is going to have pretty significant impacts on our ability to produce affordable energy locally and impact our energy security.”

In recent weeks, the administration of Gov. Josh Green has rolled out state emergency funding programs to help low-income households in Hawaii pay for rent, utilities and food to counteract federal program cuts due to the government shutdown. Most recently, the state Department of Transportation offered to pay federal air traffic and security workers to avoid curtailing flights at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu by 10%.

Though the loss of federal financial support for renewable energy isn’t on par with shutdown-related emergency responses, Hawaii residents and businesses pay the highest electricity rates in the nation. The threat of rising sea levels on the local economy also makes climate change impact mitigation a high priority for state leaders.

Some of the $651 million in threatened Hawaii renewable energy projects cannot be offset by state funding, such as a planned offshore wind farm where federal officials have ceased regulatory approval action. But state funding could counter canceled federal support for other things including electric vehicles, rooftop solar systems and “carbon smart” food production.

Laramee told Rhoads and Gabbard, who respectively chair the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Committee on Agriculture and Environment, that one of the biggest federal grant losses for Hawaii was $249 million from a $3 billion nationwide U.S. Department of Agriculture program called Carbon Smart Commodities.

The program supported climate-friendly agricultural projects including development of food forests, invasive species management and soil health improvement.

“This is really about food security within the state, and that’s been rescinded,” Laramee said.

Another move earlier this year rescinded a $62.5 million federal grant used to make low-cost loans for low- and moderate-income households to pay for rooftop solar systems.

This Solar for All program was being operated by the Hawai‘i Green Infrastructure Authority, but was terminated in August by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Hawaii along with nearly two dozen other states filed lawsuits in October challenging EPA’s rescission of grant funding approved by Congress. Laramee said she was optimistic that the state will prevail, and encouraged the Legislature to keep up support for the state Office of the Attorney General, which is involved in numerous lawsuits over federal policy and funding changes.

Laramee also suggested that loan repayment revenue received by the Green Infrastructure Authority be recycled to fund more loans instead of being deposited into the state’s general fund.

The briefing held by Rhoads and Gabbard also covered ongoing efforts to invest in plans and projects that make Hawaii more resilient to rising sea level and temperatures — efforts that include pending litigation by the City and County of Honolulu against major oil companies that the Trump Administration has tried to upend.

Retired Hawaii Supreme Court justice Michael Wilson urged state leaders to develop a climate protection plan for the islands. Such a plan, he told Rhoads and Gabbard, could start with guarding against the loss of Waikiki Beach, which Wilson said stands to be submerged in 40 or 50 years based on the present rate of global warming impacts and would sap $2 billion of annual visitor spending.

After the briefing, Rhoads (D, Nuuanu-Downtown-Iwilei) said in a statement that the presentations by Laramee and Wilson were a sobering reminder that climate change isn’t a distant or abstract issue, and that it directly impacts the health, safety, and economic future of Hawaii residents.

“Our responsibility as lawmakers is to take proactive measures to protect our communities and uphold the rights of future generations to a safe and sustainable environment,” Rhoads said.

Gabbard (D, Kapolei-­Makakilo-Kalaeloa) said in a statement that now is the time to “double down” on the commitment by Hawaii leaders to renewable energy, local food security and climate adaptation to safeguard our islands.

“The loss of federal funding for clean energy projects threatens much needed years of progress toward a more sustainable future,” he said.

The next session of the Legislature is scheduled to convene Jan. 21.