STAND. COM. REP. NO.  833-08

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2008

RE:   H.B. No. 3179

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. 3179 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE DEFINITION OF RENEWABLE ENERGY PRODUCER,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to encourage the production of organic material to be used to produce renewable energy by amending the definition of "renewable energy producer" to allow growers and producers of organic material to be used primarily for the production of biofuels and other bioenergy resources to be eligible for leases of public land without the necessity of a public auction.

     The Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., Maui Electric Company, and Hawaii Electric Light Company testified in support of this bill.

     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. 3179 and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Chair