Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, to which was referred H.B. No. 1254, H.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to protect Hawaii's drinking water and groundwater resources from methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MtBE) contamination that is a probable animal and possible human carcinogen, by requiring that no distributor shall sell or supply gasoline in the State that contains MtBE in concentrations greater than:

(1) 0.4 starting July 1, 2001;

(2) 0.3 starting January 1, 2003; and

(3) 0.15 on January 1, 2004.

The Department of Health and Aloha Petroleum submitted testimony in support of the intent of this bill. Chevron commented on the measure.

Your Committee finds that while the incidence of MtBE in Hawaii's gasoline appears to be much less frequent than in other regions of the country, it still poses a significant groundwater contamination threat, especially in sensitive inland areas that are watershed areas for drinking water supply aquifers, such as Wahiawa and Mililani. The potential impact of contamination could be significant and costly, as its removal is more expensive than the treatment of other volatile organic compounds.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1254, H.D. 1, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance.