STAND. COM. REP. NO.965

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2001

RE: S.B. No. 1435

S.D. 1

H.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection, to which was referred S.B. No. 1435, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HYDROGEN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to encourage and support the research and development of hydrogen as a source of fuel by:

(1) Establishing within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT), the Hydrogen Public/Private Partnership (Partnership) to support and promote hydrogen use in Hawaii's energy economy; and

(2) Appropriating an unspecified amount for hydrogen research and development.

The University of Hawaii at Manoa and the Gas Company submitted testimony in support of the bill. DBEDT, Hawaiian Electric Company and its subsidiaries, Maui Electric Company and Hawaii Electric Light Company, and Hawaii Renewable Energy Alliance submitted testimony supporting the intent of the bill.

 

Your Committee finds that restricting the membership of the Partnership to members critical to research and development in the initial stage of the program will expedite the successful development of hydrogen as a fuel. Further, the location of the hydrogen production site and the participation of all islands in the program are also matters of concern to your Committee. Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting the environmental community from the enumerated entities invited to participate in the Partnership;

(2) Requiring that the hydrogen production site be on the island of Hawaii for the importation and production of hydrogen for Oahu;

(3) Requiring that the engineering assessments of biomass or wind energy pathways for hydrogen cover all islands; and

(4) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1435, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1435, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

HERMINA M. MORITA, Chair