STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3524

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 96

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 96 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION TO PROVIDE A WRITTEN STATUS UPDATE ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE HAWAII ELECTRIC RELIABILITY ADMINISTRATOR,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Public Utilities Commission to provide a written status update on the implementation of the Hawaii Electric Reliability Administrator.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Public Utilities Commission and one individual.

Your Committee finds that under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission is authorized to implement an independent reliability administrator for the State's electric system, the Hawaii Electric Reliability Administrator, which is tasked with the development and oversight of reliability standards and interconnection-related functions. Act 201, Session Laws of Hawaii 2022 (Act 201), required the Public Utilities Commission to conduct a comprehensive study on the accessibility of the State's electric system and procedures for interconnection and submit a report prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2023, however the report did not reflect full implementation of the Hawaii Electric Reliability Administrator as contemplated by Act 201. This measure would request that the Public Utilities Commission provide further information to the Legislature on the progress of the Commission's Hawaii Electric Reliability Administrator implementation process.

Your Committee notes the testimony of the Public Utilities Commission that the Commission considers the Hawaii Electric Reliability Administrator fully implemented and operational. Amendments to this measure are therefore necessary to address this matter.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Replacing language that would have requested the Public Utilities Commission to provide a written status update and an annual report regarding certain aspects of the implementation of the Hawaii Electric Reliability Administrator with language that requests the Public Utilities Commission to provide a report to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2027 regarding the progress the Hawaii Electric Reliability Administrator has made delivering certain tasks;

(2) Amending its title accordingly; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 96, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 96, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection,

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JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair