Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Energy and Environment, to which was referred S.R. No. 94 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to request the Hawaii Invasive Species Council to report to the Legislature on its program to fight invasive species.

Prior to a hearing on this measure, a proposed S.D. 1 was prepared and made available for public review. In that form, it requests the United States Secretary of Energy to support a partnership between Iceland and Hawaii for the development and deployment of renewable hydrogen technologies as part of the international partnership for a hydrogen economy.

Testimony in support of the amended measure was received from Hawaiian Electric Company and the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.

Your Committee finds that the State is exploring ways to develop and use renewable energy derived from solar, wind, biomass, ocean, and geothermal resources. The production and use of hydrogen from renewable energy resources holds significant potential for diversifying Hawaii’s energy mix. The large-scale use of hydrogen will require a hydrogen-based energy infrastructure that incorporates safe production and storage technologies and will provide energy at low cost.

A study of the large-scale use of hydrogen was completed in 2001, pursuant to S.C.R. No. 183, 2000 Regular Session, and Act 283, Session Laws of Hawaii 2001, that determined that hydrogen can be competitive as a transportation fuel with projected increased efficiency of fuel cell vehicles. Hawaii can be used as the leading example of renewable energy through hydrogen development for the United States Government. Iceland also is an island economy with almost no fossil resources but abundant renewable energy resources. Iceland has positioned itself as an international demonstration site and pioneer in energy technologies to enable this island nation to become the world’s first hydrogen economy by the year 2050.

This amended measure requests the U.S. Secretary of Energy to support a working partnership between Iceland and Hawaii in order to promote a real world example of the commitment of the United States to the principals of the International Partnership for the Hydrogen Economy.

Your Committee has amended this measure by adopting the changes in the proposed S.D. 1.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Energy and Environment that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 94, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 94, S.D. 1.