STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2028

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2279

       S.D. 1

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Energy and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 2279 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ENERGY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish a task force to study the feasibility of a photovoltaic waste recycling program.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Solar Energy Association and one individual.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism and Public Utilities Commission.

     Your Committee finds that over the past few decades, production of energy through the use of photovoltaic technology has increased.  The past ten years have seen the largest growth in demand for photovoltaic modules, with a rate of thirty-five percent in 2010 and predicted rates of twenty percent or more through 2015.

     Your Committee further finds that photovoltaic panels have a life expectancy of up to thirty years, and panels that were installed in the 1990s will start filling waste bins within the next few years.  However, photovoltaic panels and other products have many recoverable materials for reuse.  The creation of a task force to study the issue of photovoltaic waste and recycling has potential environmental, financial, health, and social impacts for companies and consumers.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Establishing the photovoltaic waste recycling task force within the Department of Health, instead of the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, for administrative purposes;

     (2)  Including the Director of Health, instead of the Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, as a member of the task force;

     (3)  Extending the deadline by which the task force shall report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature to no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2016;

     (4)  Extending the sunset date of the task force to June 30, 2016; and

     (5)  Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Energy and Environment that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2279, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2279, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Energy and Environment,

____________________________

MIKE GABBARD, Chair