STAND. COM. REP. NO.  573-08

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2008

RE:   H.B. No. 3179

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Water, Land, Ocean Resources & Hawaiian Affairs and Energy & Environmental Protection, to which was referred H.B. No. 3179 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE DEFINITION OF RENEWABLE ENERGY PRODUCER,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to encourage the local production of organic material to be used to produce renewable energy by amending the definition of "renewable energy producer" to allow growers and producers of organic material to be used primarily for the production of biofuels and other bioenergy resources to be eligible for leases of public land without the necessity of a public auction.

     The Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., Maui Electric Company, and Hawaii Electric Light Company testified in support of this bill.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Water, Land, Ocean Resources & Hawaiian Affairs and Energy & Environmental Protection that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 3179 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Water, Land, Ocean Resources & Hawaiian Affairs and Energy & Environmental Protection,

____________________________ HERMINA MORITA, Chair

____________________________ KEN ITO, Chair