STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1561

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 77

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 77 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE HAWAII STATE ENERGY OFFICE TO CONDUCT A STUDY TO DETERMINE THE EXTENT TO WHICH OWNERS OF MULTIPLE PROPERTIES THAT ARE PLACES OF PUBLIC ACCOMMODATION WITHIN THE STATE AGGREGATE THEIR REQUIRED PARKING SPACES AND CHOOSE TO DESIGNATE AND ELECTRIFY PARKING SPACES IN A COUNTY THAT IS NOT THE SAME COUNTY WHERE THE MAJORITY OF THE PARKING SPACES ARE LOCATED,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Hawaii State Energy Office to conduct a study to determine the extent to which owners of multiple properties that are places of public accommodation within the State aggregate their required parking spaces and choose to designate and electrify parking spaces in a county that is not the same county where the majority of the parking spaces are located.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Big Island Electric Vehicle Association. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Hawaii State Energy Office.

Your Committee finds that the lack of access to charging stations for electric vehicles has become one of the largest barriers to electric vehicle ownership. Existing law requires retailers that offer one hundred parking spaces to include at least one electric vehicle parking stall per one hundred spaces. However, existing law also allows electric vehicle charging stations to be distributed in an aggregated fashion on all of the owner's properties within the State, which allows retailers to place the required stalls in a single location and could potentially leave the State's residents in certain counties without any electric vehicle charging capabilities. Your Committee believes that public electric vehicle charging capabilities should be provided statewide to provide access to as many drivers as possible and incentivize the increased use of electric vehicles. This measure will promote equitable access to electric vehicle charging stations to residents in every county in the State.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 77 and recommends its adoption.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism,

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LYNN DECOITE, Chair