Hawaii-2022-SCR99-Introduced

WHEREAS, undergrounding entails replacing overhead electric and telecommunication cables and facilities with underground cables and equipment; and

WHEREAS, there is widespread community interest in undergrounding the State's utility facilities to enhance scenic views, address public health concerns, reduce the risk of wind damage, and increase system reliability, among other benefits; and

WHEREAS, the advantages of undergrounding were illustrated in 1992, when Hurricane Iniki downed more than five thousand utility lines and poles on the island of Kauai, leaving more than 14,350 homes without power; and

WHEREAS, there are also disadvantages to undergrounding, and all facets of the issue should be considered; and

WHEREAS, in 1999, the Legislative Reference Bureau studied the feasibility of undergrounding the State's utility facilities in a report entitled "Undergrounding Public Utility Lines"; and

WHEREAS, there are now new technologies related to both undergrounding and overhead utility lines, making much of the Bureau's report outdated; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2022, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Legislative Reference Bureau is requested to update the Bureau's 1999 report on the feasibility of undergrounding the State's utility facilities; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Bureau is requested to:

(1) Update and compile a list of the statewide issues and considerations involved in undergrounding the State's utility facilities, including: available alternatives, legal issues, cost apportionment, resource allocation, land use, public safety, civil defense planning, public health, environmental conditions, technological issues, impact on property owners, impact on the tourist industry, aesthetic impressions, and overall impact on quality of life;

(2) Discuss any relevant changes to federal, state, and county policies, statutes, or ordinances governing the placement of utility facilities that have occurred since the 1999 report was published; and

(3) Update the Bureau's recommendations on factors that the Legislature should consider in evaluating whether to underground the State's existing and proposed utility facilities, including: the conditions under which undergrounding should be carried out, recommendations for obtaining community feedback, and alternative processes that could be used for information gathering and decision making; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Bureau may make recommendations regarding:

(1) The advisability of establishing an interagency or interdisciplinary planning group;

(2) The feasibility of coordinating existing planning resources for both short-term evaluation and long-term implementation; and

(3) Methods and opportunities for soliciting input from community members and community leaders, including ratepayers, businesses, and members of the state and county governments; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, in conducting the study, the Legislative Reference Bureau is requested to consult with appropriate government and private entities, including the Public Utilities Commission; State Departments of Transportation, Defense, and Economic Development and Tourism; State Division of Consumer Advocacy; Mayors of the Counties of Hawaii, Maui, Kauai, and the City and County of Honolulu; Department of Transportation Services for the City and County of Honolulu; Honolulu Neighborhood Commission; Hawaiian Electric; Kauai Island Utility Cooperative; Hawaiian Telcom; AT&T; T-Mobile; Verizon Communications; Charter Communications; Outdoor Circle; Sierra Club of Hawaii; Life of the Land; and representatives of small businesses; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislative Reference Bureau is requested to submit its report to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2024; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of the Legislative Reference Bureau; Public Utilities Commissioner; Director of Transportation; Adjutant General; Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Executive Director of Consumer Advocacy; Mayors of the Counties of Hawaii, Maui, Kauai, and the City and County of Honolulu; Director of the Department of Transportation Services for the City and County of Honolulu; Executive Secretary of the Honolulu Neighborhood Commission; President and Chief Executive Officer of Hawaiian Electric; Chairperson of the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative Board of Directors; President and General Manager of Hawaiian Telcom; President and Chief Operating Officer of AT&T; President and Chief Executive Officer of T-Mobile; Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Verizon Communications; Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Charter Communications; President of the Outdoor Circle Board of Directors; and Executive Director of Life of the Land.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Undergrounding; LRB; Legislative Reference Bureau; Study; Update

THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	99
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2022
STATE OF HAWAII