HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	79
TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2014
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

Renewing the State of Hawaii's Commitment to clean energy By implementing hydrogen-based energy infrastructure throughout the state.

     WHEREAS, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, humans are largely responsible for recent climate change; and

     WHEREAS, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the primary human activity affecting the amount and rate of climate change is greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuels; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii is the most fossil fuel dependent state in the nation; and

     WHEREAS, the State of Hawaii, in partnership with the United States Department of Energy, launched the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative in 2008 to meet 70 percent of Hawaii's energy needs with clean energy by 2030; and

     WHEREAS, a partnership consisting of 13 agencies launched the Hawaii Hydrogen Initiative in December 2010 to develop a hydrogen-supplied infrastructure in Hawaii capable of providing renewable hydrogen to power fuel cell vehicles and reduce petroleum imports; and

     WHEREAS, Hawaii is the ideal location to support hydrogen infrastructure as it has a large urban population and a relatively small land mass; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii has served as a test site for hydrogen as a renewable energy source in the past; and

WHEREAS, currently there are plans to implement multiple hydrogen fueling stations on Oahu where the ability to generate clean hydrogen without the need for fossil fuels already exists; and

     WHEREAS, hydrogen fueled cars provide more benefits and fewer drawbacks than electrically powered cars; and

     WHEREAS, according to the Hawaii Hydrogen Initiative, General Motors has manufactured fuel cell vehicles that have saved nearly 2,000,000 pounds of carbon dioxide; and

WHEREAS, fuel cell vehicles have a range of more than 300 miles and can refuel in as little as three minutes; and

     WHEREAS, the 2011 Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative’s Road Map includes a strategy to accelerate the deployment of electric and hydrogen vehicles and related infrastructure; and

WHEREAS, fuel cell vehicle manufacturers are targeting 2015 for an extensive rollout of hydrogen vehicles; and

     WHEREAS, ensuring that fuel cell vehicles and the necessary hydrogen refueling infrastructure come to the market at the same time would allow for greater participation in the use of fuel cell vehicles by a large percentage of the population; and

     WHEREAS, if hydrogen cars can be debuted in Hawaii through the rental car market, this could support tourism; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2014, that the State of Hawaii is encouraged to renew its commitment to clean energy by working with the United States Department of Energy and the Hawaii Hydrogen Initiative to implement hydrogen infrastructure in strategic areas throughout the State on a timeline that is in alignment with that of fuel cell vehicle manufacturers; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Assistant Secretary of the United States Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, the Governor of Hawaii, and the members of the Hawaii Hydrogen Initiative.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Encouraging the Implementation of Hydrogen Energy Infrastructure to Reflect Hawaii's Commitment to Clean Energy