STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3036

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2122

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2122, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ENERGY-EFFICIENCY PORTFOLIO STANDARDS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to amend and extend the deadline to achieve the State's energy efficiency portfolio standards target from 2030 to 2045 and to further develop and clarify procedures for the energy efficiency portfolio standards established and overseen by the Public Utilities Commission.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority; Division of Consumer Advocacy of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs; Hawaii State Energy Office; Public Utilities Commission; Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency of the City and County of Honolulu; Hawaiian Electric; Blue Planet Foundation; Ulupono Initiative; Wild Kids Hawaiʻi; 350Hawaii.org; Hawaiʻi Energy; Hawaii Solar Energy Association; Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi; and nine individuals.

Your Committees find that energy efficiency is a means of using less energy to provide the same or greater level of energy services to end-users. Act 155, Session Laws of Hawaii 2009, codified energy efficiency goals for the State by establishing an energy efficiency portfolio standard of reducing statewide electricity use by 4,300 gigawatt-hours by 2030, requiring the Public Utilities Commission to establish interim goals for electricity use reduction to maximize cost-effective energy-efficiency programs and technologies. Your Committees find that tremendous progress has been made towards this goal and this measure, by updating the energy-efficiency portfolio standards target to 6,000 gigawatt-hours of cumulative persisting electricity savings by 2045, will ensure that Hawaii residents will continue to see the benefits from energy-efficiency programming over the next two decades. Further, by aligning the energy-efficiency portfolio standards target date with that of the State's renewable energy portfolio standards target date, this measure will help facilitate improved monitoring and coordinated planning across the state energy sector.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Ways and Means that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2122, S.D. 1, and recommend that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Ways and Means,

________________________________ DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair

________________________________ JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair