Bill Text: HI SR89 | 2019 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Requesting The State Energy Office, In Collaboration With The Department Of Agriculture, To Create And Implement A Strategic Plan To Increase Renewable Energy And Local Food Production And Create An Economic Impact Report Based On Implementation Of The Strategic Plan.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-04-12 - Report and Resolution Adopted. [SR89 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2019-SR89-Amended.html
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THE SENATE |
S.R. NO. |
89 |
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THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019 |
S.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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SENATE RESOLUTION
REQUESTING THE STATE ENERGY OFFICE, IN COLLABORATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, TO CREATE AND IMPLEMENT A STRATEGIC PLAN TO INCREASE RENEWABLE ENERGY AND LOCAL FOOD PRODUCTION AND CREATE AN ECONOMIC IMPACT REPORT BASED ON IMPLEMENTATION OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN.
WHEREAS, renewable energy and agriculture can coexist and contribute to the State's self-sufficiency, energy security, and resilience; and
WHEREAS, the State currently imports fossil fuels and is highly dependent on foreign imports; and
WHEREAS, Act 97, Session Laws of Hawaii 2015, established the electric renewable portfolio standard of one hundred percent of net electricity sales by 2045, and the Governor has set a goal of doubling local food production by 2020; and
WHEREAS, utility-scale solar developments in Hawaii need to increase to reach the one hundred percent renewable portfolio standard and be able to provide stable, low-cost energy, especially for low to moderate income ratepayers and small businesses; and
WHEREAS, the State has not yet developed a long-term strategic plan to achieve one hundred percent renewable electricity to achieve the State's renewable portfolio standard and policies; and
WHEREAS, renewable energy developments such as utility-scale solar developments will require thousands of acres of flat land that are close to major transmission lines to keep infrastructure costs low; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Agriculture has not yet developed a strategic plan that incorporates renewable energy development in its plans and policies to increase local food production; and
WHEREAS, the State has thousands of acres of agricultural land that is classified by the Land Study Bureau with B, C, D, and E land-based productivity ratings, but these lands are fallow and not being utilized for farming; and
WHEREAS, new agricultural technology creates updated requirements for land use that are not dependent on the seemingly outdated Land Study Bureau's land-based rating system; and
WHEREAS, the Netherlands has embraced new agricultural technology, shifted away from land-based farming, and utilizes low cost renewable energy to power greenhouse and vertical farms, leading the Netherlands to become one of the largest producers of agricultural exports in the world; and
WHEREAS, the majority of Hawaii's commercially farmed produce is grown on lands owned by non-farmers who issue short-term leases to farmers, who therefore are unable to make the capital investments necessary to upgrade and modernize Hawaii's food production; and
WHEREAS, the State must entertain new alternatives to current agricultural operations that protect and promote agriculture in a manner that assures long-term secure access to land and supports capital investments to increase agricultural production; and
WHEREAS, there is a nexus between land use for renewable solar energy developments and growing the State's agricultural industry; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2019, that the State Energy Office, in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, is requested to create and implement a strategic plan that encompasses increasing renewable energy and local food production in a symbiotic relationship; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the strategic plan is requested to include findings and recommendations related to the following:
(1) Land use policy initiatives;
(2) Protected agriculture;
(3) Agricultural technology;
(4) Necessary recommendations for legislation at the state and county levels to implement agricultural technology and energy developments on the same lands;
(5) Identification and implementation of mutually-beneficial relationships between agriculture and energy; and
(6) Identification of potential conflicting relationships and solutions to those conflicts; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the State Energy Office, in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, is requested to create an economic impact report based on the successful implementation of the strategic plan; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the State Energy Office is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation and the strategic plan, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2020; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the State Energy Office is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation and the economic impact report, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2021; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Administrator of the State Energy Office and the Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture.
State Energy Office; Department of Agriculture; Strategic Plan; Economic Impact Report; Renewable Energy; Local Food Production
