STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2308

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2991

       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 S.B. No. 2991 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ENERGY RESOURCES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to remedy the deficiencies in existing statutes governing energy policy planning, and provide policy guidance needed to provide adequate detail on the nature and relationship of the energy data analyses functions required of the State's energy program.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.  Comments were submitted by the Office of Information Practices.

     Your Committee finds that supporting the Energy Resources Coordinator in gaining technical capability and capacity to quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate, analyze, develop, and coordinate implementation of private and public sector energy planning efforts, and recommend market-based policies to develop Hawaii's energy systems and resources in all sectors promotes the State's energy goals.

     The Office of Information Practices has suggested to your Committee that the section pertaining to information that the Energy Resources Coordinator is obligated to keep confidential requires clarification.

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Clarifying that that only information that could properly be withheld from disclosure under the Uniform Information Practices Act, Chapter 92F, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is required to be kept confidential; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and style.

     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 S.B. No. 2991, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2991, 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