HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

448

TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2013

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

RELATING TO LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 


     SECTION 1.  Hawaii may benefit from the use of liquefied natural gas.  Replacing petroleum and coal with liquefied natural gas may reduce the cost of electricity, the environmental footprint of electricity production, and greenhouse gas emissions.  Liquefied natural gas may also enable higher penetration levels of renewable energy. 

     Rather than waiting until liquefied natural gas proposals are well advanced, it is important for the State to investigate the potential benefits and risks of liquefied natural gas now.  The public utilities commission has initiated investigative dockets to better understand highly complex issues.  In particular, the public utilities commission initiated investigative dockets on feed-in tariffs and decoupling and on transferring energy efficiency programs from electric utilities to energy efficient utilities.

     SECTION 2.  Section 269-1, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new definition to be appropriately inserted and to read as follows:

     ""Liquefied natural gas" means natural gas that has been cooled to negative two hundred fifty nine degrees Fahrenheit or negative one hundred sixty one degrees Celsius and at which point is considered a liquid."

     SECTION 3.  Section 269-8, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

     "§269-8  Public utilities to furnish information.  (a)  Every public utility or other person subject to investigation by the commission, shall at all times, upon request, furnish to the public utilities commission all information that it may require respecting any of the matters concerning which it is given power to investigate, and shall permit the examination of its books, records, contracts, maps, and other documents by the commission, or any of its members, or any person authorized by it in writing to make such examination, and shall furnish the commission with a complete inventory of its property in such form as the commission may direct.

     (b)  Public utilities importing liquefied natural gas into Hawaii shall file annual liquefied natural gas reports with the public utilities commission.  The reports shall include information as determined by the public utilities commission."

     SECTION 4.  The public utilities commission shall initiate an investigative docket to examine the risks and benefits of the use of imported liquefied natural gas in this State, including the impact on the environment and health risks.  For this docket, the public utilities commission shall submit a progress report and, upon issuance of the final decision and order in the docket, a final report, to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of each year, as applicable. 

     SECTION 5.  The department of business, economic development, and tourism shall report to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the 2014 regular session on the costs, benefits, feasibility, and impacts of importing and selling liquefied natural gas in the State.  The report shall also include recommended metrics and reporting requirements for public utilities importing or selling liquefied natural gas in the State and address other pertinent issues which the department identifies in the course of its study.

     SECTION 6.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 7.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.



 

Report Title:

Liquefied Natural Gas

 

Description:

Requires utilities importing natural gas to file annual liquefied natural gas reports with the PUC.  Requires the PUC to open an investigative docket to examine the risks and benefits of liquefied natural gas.  Requires the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to submit a report regarding liquefied natural gas.  (HB448 HD1)

 

 

 

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