STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1072

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2021

 

RE:   S.B. No. 756

      S.D. 2

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection, to which was referred S.B. No. 756, S.D. 2, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTRIC VEHICLES,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to:

 

     (1)  Authorize each county to adopt ordinances to enforce state laws relating to the designation of parking spaces for electric vehicles, including the establishment of penalties;

 

     (2)  Clarify that certain enforcement officers may enter private property to enforce electric vehicle parking space requirements;

 

     (3)  Require new electric vehicle charging systems installed pursuant to the electric vehicle charging system requirement to be at least Level 2 and network capable; and

 

     (4)  Change electric vehicle charging equipped parking requirements per one hundred stalls from one stall by 2012 to five stalls by 2025 and ten stalls by 2030.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation; Hawaii State Energy Office; Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency for the City and County of Honolulu; Life of the Land; We Are One, Inc.; Blue Planet Foundation; Tesla, Inc.; Ulupono Initiative; Our Revolution Hawaii; Kauai Climate Action Coalition; 350Hawaii.org; Climate Protectors Hawaii; Hawaii Electric Vehicle Association; Big Island Electric Vehicle Association; Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii; Hawaiian Electric Company; Clean the Pacific; and numerous individuals.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Building Owners and Managers Association of Hawaii, Retail Merchants of Hawaii, and Chamber of Commerce Hawaii.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Design and Construction for the City and County of Honolulu.

 

     Your Committee finds that zero-emission vehicles, such as electric vehicles, play an integral role in Hawaii's clean energy future.  With the continued growth of electric vehicle adoption by consumers, this measure ensures the availability of the necessary infrastructure to support electric vehicle use.

 

     Your Committee notes the need to further consider adding flood zone exemptions in this measure and believes this issue merits further discussion by your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Restoring language that requires at least one parking space for electric vehicles for places of public accommodations with at least one hundred parking spaces;

 

     (2)  Deleting language that would have changed the electric vehicle charging equipped parking requirements per one hundred stalls to ten stalls by 2030;

 

     (3)  Making the requirement that new electric vehicle charging systems be at least Level 2 and network capable effective on January 1, 2022;

 

     (4)  Inserting language that establishes a subaccount in the Public Utilities Commission Special Fund for the purposes of the Electric Vehicle Charging System Rebate Program and reallocates a portion of the Environmental Response, Energy, and Food Security Tax to be deposited into the subaccount;

 

     (5)  Inserting language that appropriates $300,000 out of the Energy Security Special Fund for fiscal year 2021-2022 to be deposited into the electric vehicle charging system subaccount within the Public Utilities Commission Special Fund;

 

     (6)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

 

     (7)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 756, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 756, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

 

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection,

 

 

 

 

____________________________

NICOLE E. LOWEN, Chair