STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3683

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.R. No. 78

       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 Economic Development and Taxation, to which was referred S.R. No. 78 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE PROGRAM TO ENCOURAGE COMMUNITIES AND BUSINESSES TO CONVERT TO EXPANDED POLYSTYRENE FOAM ALTERNATIVE PRODUCTS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to request the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT) to:

     (1)  Create a voluntary compliance program to encourage communities and businesses to convert to alternative products, other than expanded polystyrene foam products and to submit a report containing the contents, actions, and results of the voluntary compliance program to the Legislature; and

     (2)  Create a list of alternative products to replace polystyrene foam products, which list shall be made available to the public.

     Testimony was not submitted in regard to this measure.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by requesting DBEDT to:

     (1)  Calculate and provide the cost difference between polystyrene foam products and the products on the list of alternative products;

     (2)  Make the foregoing cost difference information available to the public; and

     (3)  Conduct a comparison study of the recyclability, compostability, and biodegradability of the expanded polystyrene foam alternative products, along with the availability of disposal methods for each product, and submit the results of the study to the Legislature.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Energy and Environment and Economic Development and Taxation that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 78, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 78, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Energy and Environment and Economic Development and Taxation,

____________________________ CAROL FUKUNAGA, Chair

____________________________ RON MENOR, Chair