Requires the Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to adopt rules to require that diesel fuel sold in the State for use in on-highway diesel-powered motor vehicles contains no less than five per cent biodiesel by volume.
Increases the cap for awards to assist businesses applying for the Small Business Innovation Research Grant Program and the Small Business Technology Transfer Grant Program of the Hawaii Technology Development Corporation. Adds purchasing of renewable energy systems as an eligible expense and clarifies that training on both new and existing manufacturing equipment is an eligible expense for the Manufacturing Development Grant Program. Clarifies that no tax credit is available for renewable energy systems purchased with a grant received under the Manufacturing Development Grant Program.
Appropriates funds to be expended by the Department of Health as a grant for the Hawaii Primary Care Association to support solar-plus-storage microgrid implementation at community health centers in medically underserved communities, and provide programmatic services, project management, contract management, reporting and fiscal stewardship responsibilities, and developing future scalable plans for the development and deployment of solar-plus-storage microgrids at nonprofit community health centers. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
Requires the Public Utilities Commission to consider whether approving a proposed merger or acquisition would or would not further the State's renewable energy goals. Prohibits the acquiring entity of an electric utility company from terminating or attempting to renegotiate any existing and valid power purchase agreements and requires the acquiring entity to assume and be bound by existing collective bargaining agreements and retain all covered employees. Establishes a process to ensure that when an electric utility is subject to an application for a proposed acquisition, merger, or consolidation by a potential acquiring entity that is an investor-owned utility and seeks approval of the application from the Public Utilities Commission, the electric utility shall demonstrate that it solicited bids from potential acquiring entities that operate under a non-investor-owned utility ownership model. Requires the electric utility to submit acceptable bids from a potential acquiring entity operating under a non-investor-owned utility ownership model concurrently with an application by a potential acquiring entity that is an investor-owned utility and the Public Utilities Commission to review those applications concurrently. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
Requires all state and county agencies to utilize applicable federal clean energy tax credits, pursuant to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, for the purchase and financing of capital improvement projects that use clean energy technology and zero-emission vehicles. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)
Increases the cap for awards to assist businesses applying for the Small Business Innovation Research Grant Program and the Small Business Technology Transfer Grant Program of the Hawaii Technology Development Corporation. Adds purchasing of renewable energy systems as an eligible expense and clarifies that training on both new and existing manufacturing equipment is an eligible expense for the Manufacturing Development Grant Program. Clarifies that no tax credit is available for renewable energy systems purchased with a grant received under the Manufacturing Development Grant Program.
Requires the Department of Transportation to establish a clean vehicle rebate program to provide rebates for the purchase or lease of new and used zero-emission vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Establishes the clean vehicle special fund. Beginning 1/1/2027, establishes a transportation affordability and energy security tax. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)
Establishes a two-year Electric Vehicle Battery Recycling and Reuse Working Group within the Hawaii State Energy Office. Requires the working group to examine how to maximize the recycling and reuse of electric vehicle batteries and recommend electric vehicle battery management practices. Requires a report to the Legislature. (SD1)
Clarifies the definition of "power-generating facility" for the purposes of environmental impact assessments to include facilities that rely on the combustion of any fuel source, including facilities operating beginning 1/1/2025, and facilities that convert from one source of energy to another source, where the new source requires combustion and the electrical output rating of the converted facility exceeds 5.0 megawatts.
Requires the Public Utilities Commission to transfer funds from the Hydrogen Fueling System Subaccount of the Public Utilities Commission Special Fund to the Electric Vehicle Charging System Subaccount of the Fund. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)
