HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

46

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2003

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

requesting the legislative reference bureau TO study the practicality of using liquefied or compressed natural gas for the state's fleet motor vehicles.

 

 

WHEREAS, burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil, gas, and diesel results in significant emissions being released into the atmosphere, which emissions include carbon dioxide (the largest contributor to greenhouse gases), particulate matter, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, and nitrogen oxides; and

WHEREAS, the environmental consequences associated with these gases are linked to global warming, climate change, the degradation of water and air quality, and human health risks associated with fossil fuel emissions, including asthma, chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, cancer, heart disease, and premature death; and

WHEREAS, with vehicle emissions rapidly becoming the largest source of air pollution in Hawaii, if Hawaii is to be a leader in the alternative energy industry, the State needs to look at progressive measures to incorporate clean burning fuels and renewable energy sources into its infrastructure; and

WHEREAS, California is already setting standards in this arena by, for example, mandating that by 2003 ten per cent of new cars being sold are to produce near zero or zero emissions; and

WHEREAS, natural gas is proving to be an efficient, clean burning vehicular fuel that is more environmentally sensitive than conventional petroleum based fuels; and

WHEREAS, due to recent technological innovations, natural gas engines are comparable in power and range to diesel engines, but offer significantly reduced levels of emissions; and

WHEREAS, with the rising cost of petroleum-based fuel, tougher emission standards, and the growing public demand for better environmental policies, natural gas vehicles provide an attractive alternative with a number of advantages, including: being less expensive to operate than traditional gasoline-powered vehicles because natural gas burns cleaner than most other fuels and parts stay cleaner, thereby reducing maintenance costs; and filling up with natural gas is virtually the same as filling up with petroleum-based gasoline; and

WHEREAS, the State's fleet motor vehicles such as buses, trucks, and airport vehicles could be replaced with new or leased vehicles that use natural gas relatively inexpensively, due to federal funding programs aimed at increasing alternative fuel vehicle programs; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2003, that the Legislative Reference Bureau is requested to study the practicality of operating the State's fleet motor vehicles on liquefied or compressed natural gas; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Accounting and General Services and the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism are requested to cooperate with, and provide any requested assistance or information to, the Bureau in a timely manner; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislative Reference Bureau is requested to report findings and recommendations to the Legislature twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2004; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Comptroller, the Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, and the Director of the Legislative Reference Bureau.

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

State Fleet Motor Vehicles; Natural Gas