STAND. COM. REP. 1248

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: H.C.R. No. 175

H.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 175 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE CONVENING OF AN EMISSIONS TASK FORCE TO MEASURE THE STATE'S POWER PLANT AND MOTOR VEHICLE EMISSIONS AND DEVELOP COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGIES TO REDUCE EMISSIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this concurrent resolution is to convene an Emissions Task Force (Task Force) to measure the State's overall emissions from electric power plants and motor vehicles and to propose strategies and legislation to reduce emissions.

Life of the Land and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers testified in support of this measure. The Department of Health and the Public Utilities Commission supported the intent of this concurrent resolution. The Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism and the Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association offered comments. Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., and its subsidiary utility companies, Maui Electric Company, Ltd. and Hawaii Electric Light Company, Inc., opposed this measure.

"Carbon trading" is one of the strategies that the Task Force may consider. It represents a voluntary attempt to create market incentives for energy companies, manufacturers, and governments to cut emissions by reducing and trading greenhouse gas emissions.

 

Your Committee has amended this concurrent resolution by:

(1) Clarifying the impacts of reducing emissions from electric power plants;

(2) Deleting Hawaii Energy Roundtable and the Hawaii Auto Alliance from the Task Force and inserting the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purpose of clarity and to correct factual errors.

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 concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 175, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance, in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 175, H.D. 1.

 

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

 

____________________________

HERMINA M. MORITA, Chair