STAND. COM. REP. NO.  776

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   H.B. No. 1468

      H.D. 2

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Consumer Protection & Commerce and Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 1468, H.D. 1, entitled:

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

beg 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.

The Life of the Land and numerous individuals testified in support of this measure.  NextEra Energy Hawaii testified in opposition to this measure.  The Public Utilities Commission, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, and Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism provided comments on this measure.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by changing its effective date to January 1, 2112, to encourage further discussion.

     Your Committees respectfully note that further examination may be required to determine whether or not there are any sections of Chapter 269, Part VIII, Hawaii Revised Statutes, unrelated to tariffs or rates, that should be retained.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Consumer Protection & Commerce and Judiciary that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1468, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1468, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Consumer Protection & Commerce and Judiciary,

____________________________ KARL RHOADS, Chair

____________________________ ANGUS L.K. McKELVEY, Chair