Editorial: Energy bills focus on advancing EVs

Laying the groundwork for wider adoption of electric vehicles seemingly was the focus of the Legislature’s green-energy work this session, even if it’s not part of the statewide law to generate 100% of Hawaii’s electricity from renewable sources by 2045.

The reality is, the transportation sector is a big part of the state’s fossil-fuel consumption, and EVs are part of the picture, with all four mayors committing to vehicles going green by 2045, as well.

All this stated resolve has been not quite matched by state lawmakers this session, who made some incremental advances but are not yet all-in on the EV revolution. And legislators again have nixed an opportunity to close a loophole in a law requiring solar water-heating systems in new homes.

Early in the session, House Bill 557 was shelved by the House Judiciary Committee; it would have tightened criteria for getting a waiver from the solar-water requirement. Advocates for the gas and building industries were among its opponents.

Another potentially high-impact energy bill moved a tantalizingly long distance through the state Capitol before being put in cold storage. Senate Bill 1000 aimed to require new multifamily residential buildings with 10 or more parking stalls and new commercial buildings with 20 or more stalls to have wiring for EV chargers laid in before building permits are issued. It passed both chambers before stalling after multiple hearings in conference committee.

There was again resistance from the building industry, advocates said, which is a shame: Installing the chargers themselves becomes much more affordable at a later point, should residents and businesses want them, if the site is made “EV-ready” from the start.

These are the kinds of steps that are needed if Hawaii is to be powered away from its reliance on fossil fuels. Perhaps SB 1000 can be prodded out of conference next session.

Meanwhile, it will be up to the individual counties to update their building codes to accomplish the same goal incrementally. Honolulu is due to review such a proposal in a few months; that deserves full consideration by the City Council.

There were some energy advances:

>> Encouragingly, the Legislature has passed HB 1585, which establishes a rebate program for installation of EV charging systems. The funding appropriated is modest — $300,000 for fiscal 2019-20 and $500,000 for 2020-21 — but it’s a start.

>> Gov. David Ige also should sign HB 556, which would establish minimum efficiency standards promoting energy or water conservation for appliances lacking national standards — ranging from computers and monitors to fluorescent lamps and showerheads.

Essentially, Hawaii will be adopting California’s standards, and many manufacturers already are meeting them to sell in that major market. So the regulatory heavy lifting is done.

>> Adding a vehicle registration surcharge of $50 for EVs (SB 409) is worthwhile. It adds contributions to the highway maintenance fund from those who use public roads but do not pay a gas tax. And it likely will not deter anyone from buying an EV.

>> HB 852 allots funds to study a carbon pricing tax to combat climate change through reduced emissions.

The bill also makes the Hawaii State Energy Office more directly accountable to the governor. This could be a productive shift, as long as the office does not morph into a bureaucratic silo, but works with other agencies toward established goals.

Hawaii has taken the lead among states in the transition toward renewable energy. Going forward, lawmakers will need to keep that aim in their sights, if they are to make those pioneering goals a reality.