STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2181

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2549

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Energy and Environment and Transportation and International Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2549 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTRIC AUTOMOBILES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to require the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to develop an implementation plan to increase electric automobile use in Hawaii.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., Maui Energy Group, and the Hawaii Automobile Dealers' Association.  Your Committees received comments regarding this measure from the High Technology Development Corporation.  Your Committees received suggestions for amendments from the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.

     Your Committees find that broadening the scope of the measure's implementation plan and its objectives would promote consumer acceptance and increased use of all energy-efficient vehicles and alternative fuel sources.

     Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Including the use of energy-efficient vehicles, as defined under 103D-412, Hawaii Revised Statutes, within the scope of the implementation plan required under the measure;

     (2)  Including alternative fuel powered automobiles within the objectives of the implementation plan; and

     (3)  Defining "alternative fuel" to have the same meaning as defined in 10 Code of Federal Regulations Part 490.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Energy and Environment and Transportation and International Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2549, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2549, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Energy and Environment and Transportation and International Affairs,

____________________________ J. KALANI ENGLISH, Chair

____________________________ RON MENOR, Chair