STAND. COM. REP. NO.  407

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   H.B. No. 1468

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection, to which was referred H.B. No. 1468 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE INTERISLAND HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION CABLE SYSTEM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to remove the authorization granted to the Public Utilities Commission to establish a regulatory structure for the installation and implementation of an interisland high-voltage electric transmission cable system by repealing chapter 269, part VIII, Hawaii Revised Statutes, and making conforming amendments.

Life of the Land, Puna Pono Alliance, Friends of Lanai, and numerous concerned individuals supported this measure.  Blue Planet Foundation and NextEra Energy Hawaii opposed this measure.  The Division of Consumer Advocacy, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs; Public Utilities Commission; and the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism offered comments. 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by changing its effective date to January 1, 2902, to promote further discussion.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1468, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1468, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committees on Consumer Protection & Commerce and Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection,

____________________________

CHRIS LEE, Chair