STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 246
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2021
RE: H.B. No. 552
H.D. 1
Honorable Scott K. Saiki
Speaker, House of Representatives
Thirty-First State Legislature
Regular Session of 2021
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Transportation, to which was referred H.B. No. 552 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE ENVIRONMENT,"
beg leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this measure is to:
(1) Establish
clean ground transportation goals for state agencies on a staggered basis until
achieving a complete inventory of clean state-owned, light-duty motor vehicles
by December 31, 2035, and for all light-duty motor vehicles in the State by December
31, 2045;
(2) Require the procurement policy for all agencies
purchasing or leasing medium- and heavy-duty motor vehicles to seek vehicles
that reduce dependence on petroleum-based fuels that meet the needs of the
agency, where feasible and cost-effective; and
(3) Require state and county agencies to purchase building materials that reduce the carbon footprint of the project for use on the construction of new roads, where feasible and cost‑effective.
Your Committees find that it is vital that
the State begin transitioning away from imported fossil fuel-powered ground
transportation and toward cleaner and more efficient transportation systems
powered by renewable, local energy sources.
An effective way to combat the State's reliance on imported fossil fuels
is to transition to the use of electric vehicles, which are less expensive to
operate on a per-mile basis than their gas-powered counterparts. This measure ensures that the State is progressing
toward its goal of one hundred percent clean energy ground transportation.
Your Committees have amended this measure
by:
(1) Clarifying provisions relating to the State's goal for clean ground transportation by requiring that one hundred percent of state-owned, light-duty vehicles be powered by renewable energy sources by December 31, 2035;
(2) Clarifying that the Department of Transportation, in collaboration with the Hawaii State Energy Office, shall develop strategies to transition all state-owned, light-duty motor vehicles to meet the clean ground transportation goal;
(3) Specifying that all agencies, in their energy efficiency and environmental standards regarding motor vehicles and transportation fuel, promote efficient planning of charging station locations and day-time charging for electric vehicles and collect and maintain data relating to electric vehicle charger use;
(4) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and
(5) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.
As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Transportation that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 552, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 552, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Transportation,
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____________________________ HENRY J.C. AQUINO, Chair |
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____________________________ NICOLE E. LOWEN, Chair |
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