REPORT TITLE:
Alternate Fueled Vehicles


DESCRIPTION:
Requires the DOT to adopt rules for the registration of alternate
fueled vehicles, which shall be exempt from the paying of state
and county parking fees and from HOV lane and other traffic
control measures.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        3121
THE SENATE                              S.B. NO.           
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

RELATING TO ALTERNATE FUELED VEHICLES.
 


BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 1      SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that the State relies
 
 2 primarily on gasoline and diesel for its ground transportation.
 
 3 Most of the gasoline and diesel fuel produced and consumed in the
 
 4 State is produced from imported oil.  The legislature further
 
 5 finds that the State must develop and implement additional
 
 6 mechanisms to more efficiently use the oil brought into the
 
 7 State, thereby reducing the overall amount of imported oil
 
 8 needed.
 
 9      In 1992, the federal government enacted the National Energy
 
10 Policy Act (EPACT).  This federal law requires that certain
 
11 fleets located in metropolitan areas such as Honolulu purchase
 
12 "alternate fueled vehicles".  Some of these alternate fuels can
 
13 be made from renewable materials available in the State.  Under
 
14 EPACT, alternative fuels include methanol and denatured ethanol
 
15 as alcohol, natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas (propane),
 
16 hydrogen, coal-derived liquid fuel, fuels derived from biological
 
17 materials and electricity (including solar energy).
 
18      The legislature recognizes that many advances have already
 
19 been made in the field of transportation.  There are many
 

 
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 1 opportunities in the ground transportation for greater energy
 
 2 efficiency and fuel substitution.  The emergence of alternate
 
 3 fueled vehicles has the potential to improve energy efficiency
 
 4 and air quality and significantly reduce our dependency on
 
 5 gasoline and diesel fuel.
 
 6      The passage of Act 290, Session Laws of Hawaii 1997,
 
 7 recognized the need to help encourage the use of electric
 
 8 vehicles by providing incentives.  The legislature finds that the
 
 9 incentives for electric vehicles provided in Act 290, Session
 
10 Laws of Hawaii 1997, should be extended to the other alternate
 
11 fueled vehicles.
 
12      The purpose of this Act is to:
 
13      (1)  Improve the transportation of people and goods through
 
14           the expanded use of alternate fueled vehicles by
 
15           undertaking a program of financial and regulatory
 
16           incentives designed to promote the purchase or lease of
 
17           such vehicles;
 
18      (2)  Obtain the benefits to the state economy of lessened
 
19           dependence on imported petroleum products and to more
 
20           efficiently use the oil brought into the State through
 
21           greater reliance on vehicles that utilize alternate
 
22           fuels as a source of energy; and
 
23      (3)  Preserve and enhance air quality by encouraging the
 

 
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 1           widespread use of vehicles that have cleaner emissions.
 
 2      It is the policy of the State to support the development and
 
 3 widespread consumer acceptance of alternate fueled vehicles
 
 4 within the State.  This policy is intended to accelerate the use
 
 5 of a substantial number of alternate fueled vehicles in the State
 
 6 to attain significant reductions in air pollution, improve energy
 
 7 efficiency in transportation, and reduce the State's dependence
 
 8 on imported oil or petroleum products.  Exempting alternate
 
 9 fueled vehicles from various requirements applicable to
 
10 conventional vehicles may encourage operators to choose alternate
 
11 fueled vehicles.
 
12      SECTION 2.  Chapter 286, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended
 
13 by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to
 
14 read as follows:
 
15      "§286-    Alternate fueled vehicles.  (a)  The department of
 
16 transportation shall:
 
17      (1)  Adopt rules pursuant to chapter 91 for the registration
 
18           of an alternate fueled vehicle in this State; and
 
19      (2)  Issue a special license plate to designate that the
 
20           vehicle to which the license plate is affixed is an
 
21           alternate fueled vehicle.
 
22      (b)  An alternate fueled vehicle on which a license plate
 
23 described in subsection (a) is affixed shall be exempt from:
 

 
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 1      (1)  The payment of parking fees, including those collected
 
 2           through parking meters, charged by the State or any
 
 3           county; and
 
 4      (2)  High occupancy vehicle and zipper lane laws.
 
 5      (c)  As used in this section, "alternate fueled vehicle"
 
 6 means any motorized vehicle fueled with an alternate fuel, as
 
 7 defined in the National Energy Policy Act (EPACT), including
 
 8 methanol and denatured ethanol as alcohol fuels (alcohol mixes
 
 9 that contain no less than seventy per cent of the alcohol fuel),
 
10 natural gas (compressed or liquefied), liquefied petroleum gas
 
11 (propane), hydrogen, coal-derived liquid fuel and fuels derived
 
12 from biological materials, except for electric vehicles covered
 
13 by Act 290, Session Laws of Hawaii 1997."
 
14      SECTION 3.  For a period of five years from the effective
 
15 date of this Act, the motor vehicle registration fee and other
 
16 fees, if any, assessed upon or associated with the registration
 
17 of an alternate fueled vehicle in this State, including any fees
 
18 associated with the issuance of a license plate described in
 
19 section 2, shall be waived; provided that the department of
 
20 transportation shall review the incentive program every two years
 
21 to determine the proper level of incentives for continuation of
 
22 the program.
 
23      SECTION 4.  New statutory material is underscored.
 

 
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 1      SECTION 5.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2000.
 
 2 
 
 3                       INTRODUCED BY:  ___________________________