STAND. COM. REP. NO.  622-16

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2016

RE:   H.B. No. 1751

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection, to which was referred H.B. No. 1751 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to expand the definition of "renewable energy" to include other resources that replenish themselves at a sufficient rate for sustainable economic extraction in meaningful human time frames.

Hawaii Gas; the Ulupono Initiative; the Molokai Chamber of Commerce; HP Energy; Mele Associates, Inc.; and two concerned individuals supported this measure.  The Distributed Energy Resources Council of Hawaii and Life of the Land opposed the measure.  The Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism and Public Utilities Commission submitted comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by removing the proposed changes to the definition of "renewable energy" and instead amending the definition to include "other self-replenishing non-fossil fuel resources."

     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. 1751, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1751, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

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

____________________________

CHRIS LEE, Chair