STAND. COM. REP. NO.71

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2001

RE: H.B. No. 1254

H.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection, to which was referred H.B. No. 1254 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO GASOLINE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to protect Hawaii's drinking water and groundwater resources from methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MtBE) contamination that is a probable animal and possible human carcinogen, by requiring that the MtBE volume per cent in the gasoline be reduced to not greater than:

(1) 0.3 starting July 1, 2001;

(2) 0.15 starting December 31, 2003; and

(3) 0.00 on December 31, 2004.

The Department of Health submitted testimony in support of this measure. Aloha Petroleum, Ltd. (Aloha) submitted testimony supporting the intent of the measure, but expressed concern regarding the MtBE reduction requirements because unlike the two major refineries in Hawaii (Chevron and Tesoro), Aloha imports refined gasoline from various refineries, which may contain trace amounts of MtBE, notwithstanding that the refineries have been instructed not to add MtBE to the gasoline supplied to Aloha. The refineries may have in its systems trace amounts of MtBE from other gasoline having passed through its systems.

Your Committee has amended the bill by:

(1) Revising the MtBE reduction schedule as follows:

(A) 0.4 starting July 1, 2001;

(B) 0.3 starting January 1, 2003; and

(C) 0.15 on January 1, 2004;

(2) Deleting the definition of "ASTM"; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1254, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1254, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce.

 

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

____________________________

HERMINA M. MORITA, Chair