HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

81

TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2012

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 


HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

PROPOSAL TO STUDY THE LESSONS LEARNED BY Israeli Solar Energy Initiatives and their APPLICABILITY TO the State of Hawaii.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, the state of Israel began pioneering solar energy after the 1973 Arab-Israeli war in an attempt to limit the nation's reliance on imported fossil fuels; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Israeli people have become significantly reliant on solar energy for water and space heating, decreasing their national dependence on imported sources of energy by approximately 4 percent; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Israeli National Infrastructure Ministry expects an additional 16 percent decrease in the near future due in part to recent private and state initiatives; and

 

     WHEREAS, both Israel and Hawaii have limited land and natural resources, a heightened need for the generation of electricity and a need for greater independence from imported fossil fuels; and

 

     WHEREAS, legislation passed by the Knesset, in addition to increased economic benefits for homeowners have led to the installation of solar water heaters on 90 percent of Israeli homes; and

 

     WHEREAS, 90 percent of the electricity generated in Hawaii is produced from imported oil; and

 

     WHEREAS, Israel's mass transition from the use of oil to solar energy provides a unique example of reform for Hawaii to assess, adapt, and implement; and

 

     WHEREAS, there is a growing awareness and interest in clean, localized, renewable energy in the state of Hawaii, evidenced by the recent increase in home solar panel installation; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2012, requests that the Department of Business Economic Development and Tourism conduct a study of Israel's growing reliance on solar energy as well as new research and development programs with a specific focus on initiatives that could be duplicated in Hawaii; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, the United States Secretary of State, the Governor of the State of Hawaii, the Director of the Department of Business Economic Development and Tourism, Kanu Hawaii, Blue Planet Foundation, and Sierra Club Hawaii.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Energy reform; DBEDT