STAND. COM. REP. NO.  222-12

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2012

 

RE:   H.B. No. 2530

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 2530 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO RENEWABLE ENERGY REVENUE,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to provide the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands with a supplemental source of income to continue existing programs for native Hawaiians.  Specifically, this measure, among other things, specifies the percentage of geothermal royalties and the percentage of revenues from the disposition of state lands to other renewable energy producers that will be transferred to the native Hawaiian Rehabilitation Fund.

 

     The Aha Moku Advisory Committee, the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, the Department of Hawaiian Homelands, Kewalo Hawaiian Homestead Community Association, Waianae Kai Homestead Association, Nanakuli Hawaiian Homestead Community Association, the Sovereign Councils of the Hawaiian Homelands Assembly, and a concerned individual supported the measure.  The Office of Hawaiian Affairs supported the measure with amendments.  The Department of Land and Natural Resources supported the intent of the measure with amendments.  

 


     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Requiring that 15 percent of geothermal royalties collected by the State from mining leases executed after July 1, 2012, and 30 percent of all revenues from the disposition of state lands to non-geothermal renewable energy producers made after July 1, 2012, be deposited into the Native Hawaiian Rehabilitation Fund;

 

     (2)  Increasing to 25 percent the county share of royalties received by the State from geothermal mining operations in the county under geothermal mining leases;

 

     (3)  Requiring that 15 percent of the royalties received by the State from geothermal resources produced under a State geothermal resource mining lease made after July 1, 2012, be transferred to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and deposited in the Native Hawaiian Rehabilitation Fund;

 

     (4)  Adding a provision that ensures that constitutionally-provided funding for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs would not be diminished by the measure; and

 

     (5)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2530, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2530, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committees on Water, Land, & Ocean Resources and Energy & Environmental Protection.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Hawaiian Affairs,

 

 

 

 

____________________________

FAYE HANOHANO, Chair