STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2592

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2967

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 Transportation and Culture and the Arts and Agriculture and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 2967 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO STATE VEHICLES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Mandate that fifty percent of all heavy-duty motor vehicles in the State's fleet be hydrogen vehicles by an unspecified date;

(2) Mandate that one hundred percent of all heavy-duty motor vehicles in the State's fleet be hydrogen vehicles by December 31, 2035; and

(3) Define heavy-duty motor vehicle and hydrogen vehicle.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from Tigershark, LLC and two individuals.

Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from two individuals.

Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Hawaii State Energy Office.

Your Committees find that hydrogen can be produced from diverse domestic resources with the potential for near-zero greenhouse gas emissions. Your Committees further find that when used to power highly efficient fuel cell electric vehicles, hydrogen has enormous potential for strengthening national energy security, conserving petroleum, and diversifying the State's transportation energy options for a more resilient system. This measure will further the State's climate change mitigation commitment by transitioning all state-owned, heavy-duty motor vehicles to be hydrogen vehicles.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that the Department of Transportation shall approve state fleet acquisitions; provided that heavy-duty motor vehicles purchased for the State's fleet be hydrogen or battery electric vehicles;

(2) Specifying that "heavy-duty motor vehicle" means a truck, vehicle, or non-road vehicle or equipment having a gross weight rating of 8,581 pounds or more, before any after-market conversion to alternative fuel operation; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Transportation and Culture and the Arts and Agriculture and Environment that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2967, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2967, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Transportation and Culture and the Arts and Agriculture and Environment,

________________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair

________________________________ CHRIS LEE, Chair