STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2378

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2535

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism and Water and Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 2535 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ENERGY,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require offshore wind turbines to be sited no closer than twelve miles from the shoreline of a main Hawaiian island.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from Progression Energy and one individual. Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from three individuals. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Hawaii State Energy Office; Public Utilities Commission; and Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc.

Your Committees find that wind energy facilities are a valuable source of renewable energy that brings the State closer to realizing its goal of one hundred percent renewable energy by 2045. Your Committees further find that wind energy facility siting or setback requirements vary across the nation.

Your Committees note the testimony from the Hawaii State Energy Office, which stated that it is in the process to better inform future actions regarding the establishment of minimum setback requirements for offshore wind projects to identify impacts and the effectiveness of potential mitigation measures. Therefore, your Committees respectfully request your Committee on Judiciary to further examine and continue discussions on the concerns raised by the testimony on this measure.

Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Leaving blank the number of miles from the shore that an offshore wind turbine must be sited;

(2) Amending section 1 to reflect the deletion of the twelve mile set back; and

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

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism and Water and Land that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2535, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2535, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism and Water and Land,

________________________________ LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair

________________________________ GLENN WAKAI, Chair