The legislature finds that:

(1) The global demand for petroleum and its derivatives has resulted in a significant and fundamental market escalation in oil prices, has caused severe economic hardships throughout the State, and threatens to impair the public health, safety, and welfare.

The State of Hawaii, with its near total dependence on imported fossil fuel, is particularly vulnerable to dislocations in the global energy market. This situation can be changed, as there are few places in the world so generously endowed with natural energy: geothermal, solar radiation, ocean temperature differential, wind, biomass, waves, and currents, which are all potential non-polluting power sources;

Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 196-1

  • Energy: means work or heat that is, or may be, produced from any fuel or source whatsoever. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 196-2
  • Energy resources: means fuel, and also includes all electrical or thermal energy produced by combustion of any fuel, or generated, produced, or stored using wind, the sun, geothermal heat, ocean water, falling water, currents, waves, or any other source. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 196-2
  • Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts
  • Fuel: means fuels, whether liquid, solid, or gaseous, commercially usable for energy needs, power generation, and fuels manufacture, that may be manufactured, grown, produced, or imported into the State or that may be exported therefrom, including petroleum and petroleum products and gases to include all fossil fuel-based gases, coal tar, vegetable ferments, biomass, municipal solid waste, biofuels, hydrogen, agricultural products used as fuels and as feedstock to produce fuels, and all fuel alcohols. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 196-2
(2) There is a real need for comprehensive strategic planning in the effort towards achieving full use of Hawaii’s energy resources and the most effective allocation of energy resources throughout the State. Planning is necessary and desirable in order that the State may recognize and declare the major problems and opportunities in the field of energy resources. Both short-range and long-range planning will permit the articulation of:

(A) Broad policies, goals, and objectives;
(B) Criteria for measuring and evaluating accomplishments of objectives;
(C) Identification and implementation of programs that will carry out such objectives; and
(D) A determination of requirements necessary for the optimum development of Hawaii’s energy resources.

Such planning efforts will identify present conditions and major problems relating to energy resources, their exploration, development, production, and distribution. It will show the projected nature of the situation and rate of change, present conditions for the foreseeable future based on a projection of current trends in the development of energy resources in Hawaii, and include initiatives designed to fundamentally change how Hawaii consumes energy by accelerating the production of renewable and alternative energy, increasing energy efficiency, developing and adopting new technologies, and ensuring the State’s energy security;

(3) The State requires an in-depth understanding of the causes and effects of any transitional issues and trends related to changes in the State’s energy resources, systems, and markets;
(4) There are many agencies of the federal, state, and county governments in Hawaii, as well as many private agencies and a broad set of non-governmental entities, engaged in, or expressing an interest in, various aspects of the exploration, research, distribution, transportation, storage, conservation, and production of all forms of energy resources in Hawaii. Some of these agencies include the University of Hawaii; the department of land and natural resources; the department of business, economic development, and tourism; the division of consumer advocacy; the public utilities commission; the state emergency management agency; the federal energy office; and various county agencies, as well as Hawaii’s energy and energy-related companies; and
(5) There is an ongoing need in this State to coordinate the efforts of statewide industry and government energy interests; maintain the technical capability and adequate capacity to quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate, analyze, develop, and coordinate implementation of private and public sector energy planning efforts; recommend market-based policies to develop Hawaii’s energy resources, systems, and markets; establish and coordinate programs to preserve and protect the State’s energy security, maintain a robust energy emergency preparedness program, and effectuate the conservation of energy resources to provide for the equitable distribution thereof; and to formulate plans for the development and use of alternative energy sources. There is a need for coordination, capability, and capacity, so that there will be maximum conservation and use of energy resources in the State.

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