STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 509
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2021
RE: H.B. No. 561
H.D. 2
Honorable Scott K. Saiki
Speaker, House of Representatives
Thirty-First State Legislature
Regular Session of 2021
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce, to which was referred H.B. No. 561, H.D. 1, entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ENERGY,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this measure is to:
(1) Require the Public Utilities Commission to determine whether analysis
of the effect of the State's reliance on fossil fuels is necessary for
proceedings involving water, wastewater, or telecommunications providers on an
individual basis; and
(2) Provide that the analysis is not required for an electric or a gas utility's routine system replacements or determinations that do not directly pertain to capital improvements or operations.
Your Committee finds that the Public
Utilities Commission is statutorily required to consider the effect of the
State's reliance on fossil fuels on price volatility, export of funds for fuel
imports, fuel supply reliability risk, and greenhouse gas emission when the
Commission makes determinations on the reasonableness of the costs of utility
system capital improvements and operations.
This analysis promotes the State's goal in achieving its carbon negative
target by 2045 and helps to mitigate the damaging effects of sea level rise due
to greenhouse gas emission. However, your
Committee further finds that this analysis may not be relevant in many
circumstances for certain public utilities and this analysis should therefore be
done only when appropriate. This measure
will allow the Commission to operate more efficiently, while still fulfilling
its statutory duty.
Your Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Clarifying
provisions relating to the Public Utilities Commission's analysis in
determining the reasonableness of the costs of utility system capital improvements
and operations to avoid excluding indirect costs from statutory guidance; and
(2) Making
a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity, consistency,
and style.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 561, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 561, H.D. 2.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce,
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____________________________ AARON LING JOHANSON, Chair |