THE SENATE

S.R. NO.

141

TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

Requesting the mayors of the State's counties to submit A plan Detailing how each county will meet their pledge to eliminate fossil fuels from ground transportation by 2045 and urging the mayor of kalawao county to sign the pledge.

 

 


     WHEREAS, Hawaii's dependence on imported fossil fuels drains the state economy of billions of dollars each year, and the volatility of imported fuel prices creates significant risks for the economy and adds to costs for local families; and

 

     WHEREAS, the use of fossil fuels reduces air quality and contributes to climate change through increased greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere; and

 

     WHEREAS, on a per-mile basis, it is less expensive to commute in an electric vehicle than it is to commute in a gas-powered vehicle; and

 

     WHEREAS, according to the Hawaii State Energy Office, ground transportation accounted for an estimated twenty-six percent of Hawaii's fossil fuel usage in 2015; and

 

     WHEREAS, of the more than one million passenger vehicles registered in the State, only about 6,900 are fully electric and only about 25,000 are hybrid vehicles; and

 

     WHEREAS, on December 12, 2017, the mayors of the City and County of Honolulu, County of Maui, County of Hawaii, and County of Kauai signed a corresponding proclamation to eliminate fossil fuels from all ground transportation, public and private, by 2045; and

 

     WHEREAS, the City and County of Honolulu and the County of Maui also pledged to transition all of their fleet vehicles to one hundred percent clean energy by 2035; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2018, that the City and County of Honolulu, County of Maui, County of Hawaii, and County of Kauai Mayors are requested to submit a plan detailing how each county intends to meet their pledge of eliminating fossil fuels from ground transportation by 2045; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the counties are requested to consider as part of their plan installing electric vehicle charging ports and converting their county's bus fleets to electric buses; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Director of Health, in the Director's capacity as the Mayor of Kalawao County, is urged to sign the pledge to eliminate fossil fuels from all ground transportation in Kalawao County by 2045, and submit a report detailing how the county plans to eliminate fossil fuels from ground transportation by 2045; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the counties are requested to submit a report of their plan to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the start of the Regular Session of 2019; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health, Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu, Mayor of the County of Maui, Mayor of the County of Hawaii, and Mayor of the County of Kauai.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Fossil Fuels; Ground Transportation; Counties