STAND. COM. REP. NO. 880

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1241

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 1241 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to permit the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to share energy data with the Department of Health for purposes of regulating greenhouse gas emissions.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health; Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Young Democrats of Hawaii; and Elemental Excelerator.

Your Committee finds that climate change poses a serious environmental, economic, and public health threat and the State has taken strides to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. Your Committee also finds that the Department of Health is the primary agency with regulatory oversight of Hawaii's greenhouse gas emissions because it prepares annual greenhouse gas progress reports that contain a statewide greenhouse gas emission inventory, assessment of the State's progress to achieve the 2020 greenhouse gas emissions limit, and estimate of uncertainties.

Existing state law prohibits the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism from sharing energy data in its original form with the Department of Health. Before sharing, this data must be aggregated by the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to protect proprietary information. Your Committee further finds that greenhouse gas emissions calculations from the aggregated data have a higher degree of uncertainty than calculations using the original data. This measure allows the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to share original energy data with the Department of Health, which will reduce uncertainty, result in more accurate statewide greenhouse gas emissions inventories, and provide a more reliable basis for future greenhouse gas reduction efforts.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1241, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1241, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary,

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KARL RHOADS, Chair