STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2107

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2091

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2091 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require:

(1) All telecommunications service providers to communicate relevant information relating to the deenergization of electrical lines to public safety or emergency response offices for the affected areas;

(2) All electric utilities to operate electrical lines and equipment in a manner that shall minimize the risk of catastrophic wildfire posed by the electrical lines and equipment; and

(3) Each electric utility to prepare a wildfire mitigation plan and protocols for deenergizing electrical lines.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local Union 1260.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Division of Consumer Advocacy of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Public Utilities Commission, and Hawaiian Electric.

Your Committee finds that it is imperative for telecommunication providers and electrical utilities to have clear protocols where there is a need to deenergize electrical lines in emergency situations. Your Committee believes that each telecommunication provider needs to create standards to communicate relevant information relating to deenergization situations, and that all electric utilities must implement wildfire mitigation plans. This measure will ensure a coordinated and effective response to the deenergization of electrical lines in emergency situations and hopefully reduce the risk of fires related to electrical services.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Adding definitions for "electric utility", "commission", and "plan";

(2) Inserting language that outlines the Public Utilities Commission's role in regulating, adopting, and approving electric utilities' wildfire mitigation plans, and protocols for electric utilities to implement and submit wildfire mitigations plans to the Public Utilities Commission;

(3) Reorganizing language that requires electric utility companies to include certain protocols and procedures in the annual wildfire mitigation plan; and

(4) 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 Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2091, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2091, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs,

________________________________

GLENN WAKAI, Chair