STAND. COM. REP. NO. 518

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 880

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which was referred S.B. No. 880 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO GAS PIPELINE SYSTEMS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to repeal the Public Utilities Commission's responsibility for gas pipeline safety since that responsibility has been transferred to the federal Office of Pipeline Safety under superseding federal law.  

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Public Utilities Commission.  Written testimony presented to the Committee may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

     Your Committee finds that the current law requiring the Public Utilities Commission to establish and enforce safety standards for gas pipelines in the State has been preempted by a 1993 federal order transferring that responsibility to the Department of Transportation, Office of Pipeline Safety.  Your Committee finds that the federal Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1968 supersedes state law on this matter and thus renders chapter 269, part IV, Hawaii Revised Statutes, obsolete. 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 880 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection,

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair