STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1866

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2019

RE: H.C.R. No. 55

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 55 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE HAWAII EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY TO ASSESS THE RESILIENCE OF THE ELECTRIC POWER SUPPLY TO THE STATE'S CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND EMERGENCY SHELTERS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to request the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency to assess the resilience of the electric power supply to the State's critical infrastructure and emergency shelters.

For the purposes of a public hearing on this measure, your Committee circulated a Proposed H.C.R. No. 55, H.D. 1 (Proposed Draft), and notified the public that it would be accepting testimony on the Proposed Draft, which deleted its contents and inserted language which requests the Governor to convene a Department of the Environment and Consolidation of State Environmental Functions Working Group (Working Group) to consider and make recommendations on consolidating the functions of all the existing state departments, divisions, agencies, and offices that are designated to address environmental issues into a single Department of the Environment.

The Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, Sierra Club of Hawai‘i, Organizing for Action, and a few individuals supported the Proposed Draft.

Your Committee has amended this measure, as received by your Committee, by adopting the Proposed Draft. Your Committee has further amended this measure by:

(1) Replacing the Administrator of the Hawaii State Energy Office with the Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism as a member of the Working Group;

(2) Changing the due date of the Working Group's report to the Legislature to sixty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2021; and

(3) Changing the sunset date of the Working Group to June 30, 2021.

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 concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 55, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 55, H.D. 1.

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

____________________________

NICOLE E. LOWEN, Chair