STAND. COM. REP. NO. 120

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 703

       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. 703 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ENERGY,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to direct the Public Utilities Commission to adopt rules and issue orders to establish a limited government wheeling market where independent renewable energy producers located on public lands may sell electricity to governmental entities located on the same island.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from Mark Duda, Hawaii Solar Energy Association; Warren Bollmeier, Hawaii Renewable Energy Alliance; and Jeff Mikulina, Blue Planet Foundation.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from Carlito P. Caliboso, Public Utilities Commission; and Kevin Katsura, Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from Richard C. Lim, Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; and Jeffrey T. Ono, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.

 

     Your Committee understands the need to reduce Hawaii's overall dependence on fossil fuels.  Your Committee believes that facilitating the use of renewable energy by government entities, including a limited wheeling market for independent renewable energy producers to supply those entities, works toward that purpose.

 

     In order to assure that the intent of this measure is effectuated, your Committee has amended this measure by inserting the phrase "generated from renewable sources" after the word "electricity", where appropriate.

 

     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. 703, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 703, 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