THE SENATE

S.R. NO.

118

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


SENATE RESOLUTION

 

requesting the auditor to conduct an audit of H-Power to determine a list of defining issues.

 

WHEREAS, H-POWER (Honolulu Project of Waste Energy Recovery), the City and County of Honolulu's "garbage to energy" plant, is burning refuse-derived fuel to provide electricity which is sold to Hawaiian Electric Company; and

WHEREAS, H-Power has helped to meet the energy needs of families and businesses on Oahu by using advanced technology to convert waste into energy and ash-coated metal; and

WHEREAS, H-Power contends that Oahu has saved hundreds of acres of landfill space and more than ten million barrels of imported oil; and

WHEREAS, yet, the Legislature is unclear as to a variety of basic, defining issues concerning H-Power; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-Second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2004, that the Auditor is requested to audit H-Power, to determine the following defining issues:

(1) Ownership of H-Power;

(2) Annual tonnage delivered to recyclers since 1998;

(3) Annual total revenue generated from the sale and disposition of metals and power;

(4) Number of days the facility is closed annually;

(5) Amount of tonnage diverted to Waimanalo Gulch during closure;

(6) Justification for the closure;

(7) Contaminant concerns relating to ash coated metals;

(8) Locations and processors of metals both ferrous and non-ferrous;

(9) Expenditures of revenues generated from sale of metals;

(10) Number of contracts with vendors for operating and sale of metals;

(11) Criteria for requests for proposals for contracts;

(12) Amount of county and state funds used to develop H-Power;

(13) Annual tonnage of solid waste processed through H-power;

(14) Tonnage of other by-product generated by H-Power through solid waste into Waimanalo Gulch;

(15) A description and explanation of any formal relationship between Covanta and the City and County of Honolulu;

(16) Cost to the City and County of Honolulu to purchase H-Power from Covanta; and

(17) Amount of reserves from the revenue generated from H-Power held by the City and County of Honolulu for the special purpose of purchasing H-Power from Covanta; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor is requested to report findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2005; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Mayor and the Chairperson of the Council of the City and County of Honolulu, the Auditor, and the Manager of the H-Power plant.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

H-Power; Auditor; Defining Issues