CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 119

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2021

RE: H.B. No. 561

H.D. 2

S.D. 2

C.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sirs:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 561, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ENERGY,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Require the Public Utilities Commission to make determinations of the reasonableness of the costs pertaining to fossil fuel or biomass sourced electricity or gas utility system capital improvements and operations and to consider the effect of the State's reliance on fossil fuels and biomass based on certain factors;

(2) Require the Public Utilities Commission to determine on an individual basis whether an analysis is necessary for proceedings involving water, wastewater, or telecommunications providers; and

(3) Exempt the Public Utilities Commission from the requirement to conduct an analysis for a utility's routine system replacements or determinations that do not pertain to capital improvements or operations.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting the preamble;

(2) Clarifying that the Public Utilities Commission shall make determinations of the reasonableness of the costs pertaining to electric or gas, and deleting "fossil fuel or biomass sourced", utility system capital improvements and operations in its consideration to reduce the State's reliance on fossil fuels;

(3) Deleting all references to "and biomass";

(4) Replacing "overground" with "underground" line determinations; and

(5) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 561, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 561, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

____________________________ GLENN WAKAI Chair	____________________________ NICOLE E. LOWEN Co-Chair
____________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER Co-Chair	____________________________ LISA KITAGAWA Co-Chair
____________________________ DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ Co-Chair	____________________________ LISA MARTEN Co-Chair