STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1180

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 869

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committees on Transportation and International Affairs and Education and Energy and Environment, to which was referred H.B. No. 869, H.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR A STUDY ON ENERGY EFFICIENT TRANSPORTATION STRATEGIES,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to make an appropriation for an energy efficiency transportation strategies study.

 

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism and the Hawaii Energy Policy Forum (Forum) at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

 

     Your Committees find transportation is responsible for an inordinate amount of fuel consumption, including fuel used in motor vehicles, busses, and jet planes.  Your Committees further find that reducing the demand for fuel in transportation modalities would greatly reduce our dependence on oil.

 

     Under this measure, the Forum, a part of the Social Sciences Public Policy Center at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, proposes to conduct a study on energy efficient transportation strategies in conjunction with the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.  In 2005, the Forum adopted a comprehensive "10 Point Action Plan" which serves as a framework for meeting the State's preferred energy and vision goals.  However, no current energy efficient strategy is in place for the transportation sector.

 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by inserting provisions from S.B. No. 983, a similar measure, with the following changes:

 

     (1)  Requiring a cost-benefit analysis of each energy efficient transportation strategy;

 

     (2)  Appropriating an amount of $50,000;

 

     (3)  Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2007; and

 

     (4)  Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for the purposes of clarity and style.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Transportation and International Affairs and Education and Energy and Environment that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 869, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 869, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Transportation and International Affairs and Education and Energy and Environment,

 

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair

 

____________________________

J. KALANI ENGLISH, Chair

 

 

____________________________

RON MENOR, Chair