STAND. COM. REP. NO. 349

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.B. No. 977

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection, to which was referred H.B. No. 977 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ENERGY FINANCING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Authorize the Clean Energy and Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund to be used to provide financial assistance to underserved ratepayers, in addition to other eligible borrowers; and

(2) Appropriate funds into and out of the Clean Energy and Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs; Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority; Hawaiʻi Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation Commission; Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi; Climate Protectors Hawaiʻi; Inter-Island Solar Supply; Shifted Energy; Alternate Energy Hawaii; HNU-Energy; 350Hawaii.org; Coalition Earth; and four individuals.

Your Committee finds that rooftop solar plus storage systems will help the State meet its one hundred percent renewable energy portfolio standard goal by 2045 and help reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels. Your Committee further finds that while the Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority was awarded $62,000,000 in federal solar-for-all loan funds, these funds are restricted to low-income households, leaving moderate-income households and other underserved ratepayers without access to financing for these solar systems. This measure addresses this need by authorizing the Clean Energy and Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund to be used to provide financial assistance to underserved ratepayers.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

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

Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Finance, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider the appropriation amount of $50,000,000 to be deposited into and appropriated out of the Clean Energy and Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 977, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 977, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection,

____________________________

NICOLE E. LOWEN, Chair