HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THE THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE
REGULAR SESSION OF 2025
|
Rep. Nicole E. Lowen, Chair |
|
Rep. Amy A. Perruso, Vice Chair |
|
Rep. Kirstin Kahaloa |
Rep. Sean Quinlan |
|
Rep. Matthias Kusch |
Rep. Gene Ward |
NOTICE OF HEARING
|
DATE: |
Tuesday, March 11, 2025 |
|
TIME: |
9:00 AM |
|
PLACE: |
VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE Conference Room 325 State Capitol 415 South Beretania Street |
Click here to submit testimony and to testify remotely or in person.
A live stream link of all House Standing Committee meetings will be available online
shortly before the scheduled start time.
Click here for the live stream of this meeting via YouTube.
A G E N D A
|
RELATING TO ENERGY. Establishes the Wildfire Liability Trust Fund to be placed within the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs for administrative purposes. Specifies that the Wildfire Liability Trust Fund shall be administered by an Executive Director appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. Authorizes securitization for electric utilities. Requires the Public Utilities Commission to establish standards for each electric utility to replace fossil fuel resources with firm renewable energy sources in the renewable portfolio standard. Effective 5/13/2040. (SD3)
|
EEP, CPC/JHA, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO ELECTRIC UTILITIES. Requires the Public Utilities Commission to consider whether approving a proposed merger or acquisition would or would not further the State's renewable energy goals. Establishes a process to ensure that when an application for the proposed acquisition, merger, or consolidation of an electric utility company is filed with the PUC by an acquiring entity that is an investor-owned utility, alternative applications filed by acquiring entities that operate under a non-investor-owned utilities ownership model will be concurrently reviewed. Requires an acquiring entity of an electric utility company to assume and be bound by any existing collective bargaining agreements entered into by the electric utility company, as it applies to covered employees. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD2)
|
EEP, CPC, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO ENERGY. Allows the State to enter into step-in agreements for payment obligations arising under certain power purchase agreements. Establishes the Power Purchasing Costs Trust Fund. Establishes that revenues from on-bill charges for power purchase agreements and accompanying reserves shall be held in trust by the State, and that independent power producers shall hold a beneficial interest in the revenue and reserve to the extent of the amounts owed under the covered power purchase agreements. Appoints, authorizes, and empowers an electric utility to serve as the billing, collection, payment, and managing agent of the Department of Budget and Finance in the service of performing step-in agreements. Effective 5/13/2040. (SD2)
|
EEP, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO RENEWABLE GAS TARIFF. Requires gas utility companies to submit proposed renewable gas tariffs to the Public Utilities Commission by 8/31/2025. Requires the Public Utilities Commission to establish a renewable gas tariff within 9 months of receiving a completed application for a proposed renewable gas tariff. Provides that the Public Utilities Commission shall determine the completeness of the application no later than 30 days after the application is filed. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD2)
|
EEP, CPC, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO RENEWABLE ENERGY. Authorizes certain government entities to establish a self-certification process for behind-the-meter, customer-sited solar distributed energy resource systems and exempt the systems from the Federal Emergency Management Agency No-Rise/No-Impact declaration requirements under certain circumstances. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD2)
|
EEP, CPC |
|
|
RELATING TO RENEWABLE ENERGY. Authorizes retail wheeling of renewable energy and requires the Public Utilities Commission to establish policies and procedures to implement retail wheeling and microgrid service tariffs. Ensures that fair compensation is provided for solar and energy storage exports. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)
|
EEP, CPC, FIN |
|
|
RELATING TO EDUCATION. Requires a local investor-owned electric utility to provide and fund support to public schools impacted by the utility's planned public safety power shutoff program. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD2)
|
EEP, EDN, CPC |
|
|
RELATING TO ENERGY INDUSTRY INFORMATION REPORTING. Adds the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security to the list of agencies that may examine the energy industry information statements submitted pursuant to section 486J-3, HRS. Adds the promotion of emergency management and critical infrastructure protection as relevant purposes of the Energy Data Collection Program.
|
EEP, JHA |
|
|
|
|
|
Persons wishing to offer comments should submit testimony at least 24 hours prior to the hearing. Testimony received after this time will be stamped late and left to the discretion of the chair to consider. While every effort will be made to incorporate all testimony received, materials received on the day of the hearing or improperly identified or directed, may not be processed.
Testimony submitted will be placed on the legislative website. This public posting of testimony on the website should be considered when including personal information in your testimony.
The chair may institute a per-testifier time limit.
Committees meeting in the morning must adjourn prior to the day's Floor Session. Therefore, due to time constraints, not all testifiers may be provided an opportunity to offer verbal comments. However, written submissions will be considered by the committee.
Please refrain from profanity or uncivil behavior. Violations may result in ejection from the hearing without the ability to rejoin.
For remote testifiers, the House will not be responsible for bad connections on the testifier's end.
For general help navigating the committee hearing process, please contact the Public Access Room at (808) 587-0478 or par@capitol.hawaii.gov.
The livestream and/or cable TV broadcast of this meeting will include closed captioning. If you need an auxiliary aid/service or other accommodation (including oral, written, or ASL interpretive services) or are unable to submit testimony via the website due to a disability, please contact the committee clerk at (808) 586-8400. Requests made as early as possible have a greater likelihood of being fulfilled.
Click here for a complete list of House Guidelines for remote testimony.
FOR AMENDED NOTICES: Measures that have been deleted are stricken through and measures that have been added are bolded.
For more information, please contact the Committee Clerk at (808) 586-8400.
|
|
|
________________________________________ Rep. Nicole E. Lowen Chair |
|
|
|
|