STAND. COM. REP. NO.  427-10

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2010

RE:   H.B. No. 2450

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Water, Land, & Ocean Resources and Agriculture, to which was referred H.B. No. 2450 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO RENEWABLE ENERGY FACILITIES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to expand the exemption from subdivision requirements to include renewable energy facilities approved or permitted by the Land Use Commission or a county planning commission, or the Board of Land and Natural Resources.

     Castle & Cooke Hawaii supported this bill with amendments.  The Department of Agriculture, Department of Land and Natural Resources, and a concerned individual offered comments.

     Act 173, Session Laws of Hawaii 2009 (Act 173), only permitted solar energy facilities on class D or E rated agricultural lands and wind energy facilities on conservation lands, without the need to comply with subdivision requirements.  Your Committees have amended this bill by inserting a purpose and findings section to clarify the intent of the bill, which is to expand the scope of Act 173 to include any renewable energy facilities on agricultural district lands as approved by the Land Use Commission or county planning commissions and on conservation district lands as approved by the Board of Land and Natural Resources.  Renewable energy not only includes the sun and wind, but also energy generated or produced using biogas, geothermal, biomass, biofuels, hydrogen, and ocean water, currents, and waves.

     Technical, nonsubstantive amendments were also made for clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Water, Land, & Ocean Resources and Agriculture that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2450, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2450, H.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Water, Land, & Ocean Resources and Agriculture,

____________________________ KEN ITO, Chair	____________________________ HERMINA MORITA, Chair
	____________________________ CLIFT TSUJI, Chair