HI LEG Abysmal Energy Failure

SUBHEAD: Right now wholesale changes need to take place with energy issues in Hawaii, but they are not happening. Image above: Lights out on Ohau. Photo of grid shutdown on 12/8/08 on front page of the Honolulu Advertiser. From (http://philuhl.com/news2.html)

By Brad Parsons on 19 April 2010 in Aloha Analytics - (http://alohaanalytics.blogspot.com/2010/04/as-it-stands-right-now-hawaii.html) There were many good bills on energy issues that were introduced in the current Hawaii Legislative Session, but almost all of them fell by the wayside for one lame reason or another. Hawaii, the most isolated land in the world, with one of the most tenuous energy situations, is miserably failing to make the transition to a sustainable, economically viable energy environment. Only a handful of energy related bills are still alive in this Legislative Session. They include HB2421 HD2 SD2 CD1 the Barrel Tax who's efficacy is questionable; HB2450 HD1 SD2 exemption from subdivision requirements for renewable energy facilities; HB2239 SD2 related to the Deposit Beverage Container Program; and a few others. Frankly, this is a pathetically short list compared to what the Session began with. Maybe one of the best policy initiatives introduced this Session, HB2643 HD2 SD1 a Property Assessed Clean Energy bond financing bill (PACE), is on the verge of dying an ignoble death, murdered by narrow-minded politicians not wanting the Governor's party to get credit for it's implementation, and a Speaker getting revenge for bills killed in the other chamber on unrelated subject matter near and dear to family member's prior employment. Besides, he can help a bank that doesn't want the competition from PACE. Such is the state of Hawaii's pathetic, self-defeating politics. All of this to maintain an arbitrarily short Legislative Schedule clearly inadequate to solve the problems before the State. One would think that Leadership in the Legislature would have long sense come up with a more realistic Legislative schedule conducive to actually solving problems. But no, it hasn't happened. And as a result, Hawaii is on a path to abysmal failure in the changing energy and economic environment going forward. .