STAND. COM. REP. NO. 392

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 91

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Water and Land and Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism, to which was referred S.B. No. 91 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SUSTAINABLE LAND USE,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development to conduct a study to assess the possible implementation of widescale agrivoltaic adaptation and use statewide and to submit a report to the Legislature.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawai‘i Farm Bureau, Ulupono Initiative, and one individual. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development and Department of Agriculture.

Your Committees find that increasing agricultural and renewable energy productivity are state priorities. Your Committees further find that agrivoltaics, or the simultaneous use of areas of land for both solar photovoltaic power generation and agriculture, is a potential way to meet both the State's agriculture and renewable energy goals. Therefore, this measure requires the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development to conduct a study to assess the possible implementation of widescale agrivoltaic adaptation and use statewide and to submit a report to the Legislature.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Requiring the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development to submit its report to the Legislature prior to the Regular Session of 2025, instead of prior to the Regular Session of 2024;

(2) Including an appropriation for one full-time equivalent position (1.0 FTE) within the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development;

(3) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

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

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Water and Land and Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 91, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 91, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Water and Land and Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism,

________________________________ LYNN DECOITE, Chair

________________________________ LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair