STAND. COM. REP. NO. 759

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 992

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Energy and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 992 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ENERGY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to require the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT) to post on the department's website, a current list of applications for permits and licenses for hydroelectric projects in and around Hawaii waters.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from DBEDT, World Business Academy, Honolulu Seawater Air Conditioning, LLC, and two individuals.

     Under title 16, United States Code, section 797(f), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is required to provide notice of any preliminary permit applications for hydroelectric projects to any state or municipality likely to be affected by the application, and to publish notice once each week for four weeks in a daily or weekly newspaper published in any county the project is likely to affect.  A preliminary permit is for the sole purpose of maintaining priority of application for a license and can last for up to three years (title 16, United States Code, section 798).

     Your Committee finds that applications for development-related permits generally come to the public's attention by word-of-mouth.  The intent of this measure is to provide additional public notice of the intent to develop renewable energy projects. 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of clarity and style.

     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 is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 992, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 992, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Energy and Environment,

____________________________

RON MENOR, Chair