STAND. COM. REP. NO.  888-08

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2008

RE:   H.B. No. 2004

      H.D. 2

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 2004, H.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels for transportation by appropriating $175,000 for the Hawaii Energy Policy Forum (Forum) to continue its study with the Energy-efficient Transportation Strategies Working Group resulting from Act 254, Session Laws of Hawaii 2007, to develop energy-efficient transportation strategies.

     The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers testified in support of this bill.  The Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, University of Hawaii at Manoa, High Technology Development Corporation, Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., and its subsidiaries, Maui Electric Company, Ltd., and Hawaii Electric Light Company, Inc., and Forum offered comments.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

     (1)  Requiring the Forum to submit an interim report of its progress prior to the 2009 regular session, and a final report of its findings and recommendations prior to the 2010 regular session, to enable the Forum to produce a more fully-developed report;

     (2)  Changing the appropriation to an unspecified amount;

     (3)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2020, to encourage further discussion; and

     (4)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2004, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2004, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Chair