STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3139

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 2811

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Energy and Environment, to which was referred H.B. No. 2811 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ENERGY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Energy Systems Development Special Fund for the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute, which is tasked to, among other things, conduct research and development of renewable sources of energy and deploy efficient energy end-use technologies.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Hawai‘i County Council.  Comments were submitted by the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute, University of Hawai‘i System; and Hawaii BioEnergy LLC.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by deleting the contents and replacing it with the contents of S.B. No. 2630, S.D. 1.  The amended measure promotes transparency of the pricing methods used by the Hawaii petroleum industry by requiring the publishing of certain categories of collected industry information and gas prices.

     Your Committee finds that this measure advances the legitimate state interest of encouraging fair trade practices by promoting transparency of the pricing methods used by the Hawaii petroleum industry.

     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 H.B. No. 2811, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2811, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

RON MENOR, Chair