CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 73-08

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2008

RE:    H.B. No. 2550

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 2

       C.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Sir and Madam:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 2550, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

     The purpose of this bill is to encourage customers to invest in renewable energy systems through net-energy metering programs by requiring the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to ensure that a percentage of the total rated generated capacity produced by eligible customer-generators be reserved for electricity produced by eligible residential or small commercial customer-generators.

This bill also authorizes the PUC to:

(1)  Define the maximum capacity for eligible residential or small commercial customer-generators; and

(2)  Evaluate, on an island-by-island basis, the applicability of generating capacity requirements and, in its discretion, exempt an island or a utility grid system from the generating capacity requirements.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this bill by:

(1)  Changing the effective date to upon approval; and

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

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2550, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2550, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

____________________________ RON MENOR, Chair	____________________________ HERMINA MORITA, Co-Chair
____________________________ RUSSELL S. KOKUBUN, Co-Chair	____________________________ ROBERT N. HERKES, Co-Chair