STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1703

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 552

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 2

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 552, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE ENVIRONMENT,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to promote the use of renewable energies and green infrastructure in the State.

 

     More specifically, this measure:

 

     (1)  Establishes procurement policy requirements for medium- and heavy-duty motor vehicles;

 

     (2)  Establishes clean ground transportation goals;

 

     (3)  Authorizes state and county agencies to include trees and plants having lifespans longer than twenty years as a part of the agencies' capital improvement projects;

 

     (4)  Requires the Department of Accounting and General Services to require that all new light-duty passenger vehicles purchased for the State's vehicle fleets be zero-emission vehicles;

 

     (5)  Permits the Department of Accounting and General Services to authorize an exemption to this requirement for the procurement of new fleet vehicles if certain conditions are met;

 

     (6)  Amends certain definitions in Chapter 37, Hawaii Revised Statutes, relating to the executive budget to allow for the inclusion of costs related to green infrastructure in capital improvement costs;

 

     (7)  Establishes clean ground transportation goals relating to the procurement of light-duty motor vehicles;

 

     (8)  Provides for electric vehicle charging and clean ground transportation goals in the State's planning and budget preparation and program implementation goals; and

 

     (9)  Requires the Chief Energy Officer to lead efforts to incorporate energy efficiency, renewable energy, energy resilience, and clean transportation to reduce costs and achieve clean energy goals across all public facilities.

 

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Hawaii State Energy Office, Office of Planning, 350Hawaii, Alliance for Automotive Innovation, Big Island EV Association, Blue Planet Foundation, Climate Protectors Hawaii, Democratic Party of Hawaii, Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party, Hawaii EV Association, KauaiEV, Sustainable Energy Hawaii, Ulupono Initiative, and eight individuals.

 

     Your Committee received written comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance and State Procurement Office.

 

     Your Committee finds that this measure will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the reduction of energy use, adoption of policies that emphasize the use of renewable energy, and control of air pollution throughout the State's government and industries.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Deleting a provision that added a new section to Chapter 103D, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to establish requirements for the procurement of medium- and heavy-duty motor vehicles that are separate from the procurement requirements related to light-duty motor vehicles;

 

     (2)  Replacing a reference to the term "State's energy goals" with "State's decarbonization and sustainability goals" as those terms relate to each state and county agency's ability to include certain trees and plants as part of the agency's capital improvement projects;

 

     (3)  Amending the definition of "green infrastructure" in section 37-62, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to clarify that the term includes measures that use plant, tree, or soil systems; permeable pavement or other permeable surfaces or substrates; stormwater harvest and reuse; or landscaping to store, infiltrate, or evapotranspirate water; and

 

     (4)  Amending section 103D-412, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to:

 

          (A)  Increase the scope of the section to include medium- and heavy-duty motor vehicles;

 

          (B)  Delete a provision requiring agencies purchasing or leasing light-, medium-, and heavy-duty motor vehicles to meet certain clean ground transportation goals;

 

          (C)  Repeal electric vehicles and fuel cell electric vehicles from the list of priority vehicles; and

 

          (D)  Add zero-emission vehicles to the list of priority vehicles;

 

     (5)  Updating and inserting various definitions in sections 26-6 and 103D-412, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to conform to federal regulations; and

 

     (6)  Making technical nonsubstantive changes for purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 552, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 552, H.D. 1, S.D. 2.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

 

 

 

________________________________

DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair