STAND. COM. REP. NO. 121

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 188

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Energy and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 188 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FOSSIL FUELS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to restrict any new construction or expansion of fossil fueled electricity generating facilities unless the electric utility can demonstrate compliance with the State's renewable portfolio standards.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from Carlito P. Caliboso, Public Utilities Commission; Jeff Mikulina, Blue Planet Foundation; and the Sierra Club, Hawaii Chapter.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from Catherine Awakuni, Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc.; Cecily Barnes, Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc.; and Rick Tsujimura, AES Hawaii.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from Richard C. Lim, Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; and Paul Oshiro, Alexander & Baldwin, Inc.

 

     Your Committee believes that encouraging the electric utilities to discontinue the construction of new fossil fuel burning facilities will lead to reduced dependence on fossil fuels and strengthen the State's resolve to use more renewable energy.  Your Committee recognizes that facilities which currently generate energy through fossil fuels can be expanded for other purposes such as biofuel energy generation.

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by clarifying that the type of expanded generating capacity that shall not be permitted under this measure is an expansion in fossil fuel generating capacity.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Energy and Environment that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 188, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 188, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Energy and Environment,

 

 

 

____________________________

MIKE GABBARD, Chair