STAND. COM. REP. NO.  450

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2013

 

RE:   H.B. No. 453

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection, to which was referred H.B. No. 453 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO RENEWABLE ENERGY,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to encourage renewable energy production to enable Hawaii to meet its clean energy initiative goals by excluding from the definition of "public utility," persons who install renewable energy systems on their properties and provide, sell, or transmit the power therefrom to an electric utility or lessees or tenants of the property.

 

     The Department of Taxation; Sierra Club, Hawaii Chapter; Blue Planet Foundation; Carmel Partners; Distributed Energy Partners; Forest City Hawaii; GSF, LLC; Hawaii Association of REALTORS; Hawaii Solar Energy Association; NAIOP Hawaii; Sunetric; Catholic Charities Housing Development Corporation; The Michaels Development Company; and several individuals provided testimony in support of this measure.  The Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs; the Public Utilities Commission; and Kairos Energy Capital provided comments on this measure.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

 

     Should your Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce consider this measure, your Committee requests that it address landlord-tenant issues that may arise from the provisions of this measure to among other things ensure that tenants reap some of the energy cost-savings benefits of the renewable energy systems.

 

     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 H.B. No. 453, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 453, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

 

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

 

 

 

 

____________________________

CHRIS LEE, Chair