STAND. COM. REP. 160
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2003
RE: H.B. No. 1392
H.D. 1
Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twenty-Second State Legislature
Regular Session of 2003
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committees on Energy and Environmental Protection and Water, Land Use, and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 1392 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO RENEWABLE ENERGY,"
beg leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this bill is to increase the use of renewable energy in Hawaii by:
(1) Requiring the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT) and the Department of Agriculture (DOA) to convene a biomass task force to investigate, evaluate, and recommend measures to make biomass energy and biofuels viable for commercial development in Hawaii;
(2) Requiring the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) and DBEDT to conduct a study regarding renewable energy development;
(3) Establishing a Geothermal Resources Development Special Fund (Special Fund), into which shall be deposited all royalties from geothermal developers to further develop the State's geothermal resources;
(4) Encouraging homeowners to use solar energy by making affordable loans available for the purchase and installation of solar water heating systems for their homes;
(5) Allowing renewable energy development in exclusive enterprise zones;
(6) Implementing the recommendations of the Energy Efficiency Policy Task Force that was established by Act 163, Session Laws of Hawaii 1998; and
(7) Establishing an income tax credit for renewable energy technologies.
The Hydrogen Renewable Energy Enterprise testified in support of this bill. DBEDT, Hawaii Renewable Energy Alliance, Housing and Community Development Corporation of Hawaii, and Hawaii Solar Energy Association supported the intent of this bill. The Gas Company, Department of Budget and Finance, Powerlight Corporation, Hawaiian Electric Company, Maui Electric Company, and Hawaii Electric Light Company commented on this bill. The Board of Land and Natural Resources opposed this bill.
Your Committees find that Hawaii is over ninety per cent dependent on imported oil. Because Hawaii is physically isolated from the rest of the country, any disruption of Hawaii's oil fuel supply will have a detrimental effect on the State. Your Committees believe that this bill will encourage the use of renewable energy resources to lessen our dependence on imported oil.
Your Committees have amended this bill by:
(1) Removing the provision that required DBEDT and DOA to convene a biomass task force;
(2) Removing the provision requiring DLNR and DBEDT to conduct a study regarding renewable energy development;
(3) Removing the language creating the Special Fund;
(4) Removing the income tax credit for renewable energy technologies;
(5) Requiring DBEDT, with the cooperation of DLNR, to update or conduct a new geothermal resource assessment study;
(6) Appropriating $75,000 out of the Special Land and Development Fund to be used for the geothermal resource assessment study; and
(7) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of style and clarity.
As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Energy and Environmental Protection and Water, Land Use, and Hawaiian Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1392, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1392, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Economic Development and Business Concerns.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Energy and Environmental Protection and Water, Land Use, and Hawaiian Affairs,
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____________________________ EZRA R. KANOHO, Chair |
____________________________ HERMINA M. MORITA, Chair |
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