STAND. COM. REP. NO. 247

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 983

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Transportation and International Affairs and Education and Energy and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 983 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR A STUDY ON ENERGY EFFICIENT TRANSPORTATION STRATEGIES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this Act is to make an appropriation for an energy efficiency transportation strategies study.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Energy Policy Forum (Forum) of the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  Comments were received from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism. 

     Your Committees find transportation is responsible for an inordinate amount of fuel consumption, including fuel used in motor vehicles, busses, and jet planes.  Your Committees further find that reducing the demand for fuel in transportation modalities would greatly reduce our dependence on oil.

     Under this measure, the Hawaii Energy Policy Forum, a part of the Social Sciences Public Policy Center at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, proposes to conduct a study on energy efficient transportation strategies in conjunction with the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.  In 2005, the Forum adopted a comprehensive "10 Point Action Plan" which serves as a framework for meeting the State's preferred energy and vision goals.  However, no current energy efficient strategy is in place for the transportation sector. 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Transportation and International Affairs and Education and Energy and Environment that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 983 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Transportation and International Affairs and Education and Energy and Environment,

____________________________ NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair	____________________________ J. KALANI ENGLISH, Chair
	____________________________ RON MENOR, Chair