STAND. COM. REP. NO. 846

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 588

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which was referred S.B. No. 588, S.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Authorize certain government entities to establish a self-certification process for behind-the-meter, customer-sited solar distributed energy resource systems; and

(2) Exempt the systems from the Federal Emergency Management Agency No-Rise/No-Impact declaration requirements under certain circumstances.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Hawaii State Energy Office, Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority, Hawaii EV Association, Hawaii Food Industry Association, Climate Future Forum, Hawaii Solar Energy Association, Sunrun, Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi, 350Hawaii.org, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, Carbon Cashback Hawaiʻi, and one individual.

Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Contractors License Board.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Public Utilities Commission and Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative.

Your Committee finds that existing law imposes administrative barriers that constrain deployment of residential and commercial-scale distributed energy resources. To encourage the adoption of renewable energy, Hawaii must lower these administrative barriers. Additionally, the permitting review process under existing law adds a substantial amount of time and cost to the adoption of residential solar and energy storage projects, and self-certification by duly licensed design professionals can significantly reduce this time, cost, and administrative burden without sacrificing public health and safety. Your Committee further finds that this measure will help the State increase sustainability and resiliency by creating a streamlined, consistent permitting process as an efficient way to ensure that all regulations, rules, and safety guidelines are adhered to, while helping to relieve some of the backlog in the counties' overburdened permitting systems.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

(2) 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 Commerce and Consumer Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 588, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 588, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection,

________________________________

JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair