Working Toward a Sustainable Energy Future
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Working Toward a Sustainable Energy Future How can we help make Hawaii’s economy stronger? By helping Hawaii become less dependent on the mainland for energy and food. Right now we rely on imports for 90 percent of our energy and an estimated 85 percent of our food. Congresswoman Hirono believes if we speed up the development of renewable energy technologies, we can wean ourselves from oil dependence. We’ll also create local companies and local jobs and keep more of our money in Hawaii. As a member of the Congressional Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition she’s been working to help move Hawaii and our nation closer to a clean energy future. Unfortunately, when it comes to developing clean energy, too many in Congress disagree. They want to pursue an energy policy that's outdated and wrong. Just look at the budget passed by House Republicans – it would continue giving the oil companies billions in subsidies yet cut investments in clean energy that have helped Hawaii companies and provide a path to energy independence. We know we need a different approach. That's why Congresswoman Hirono worked with clean energy leaders to create a plan on what Hawaii – and the nation – needs from Washington to become more self-sustainable. “People in Hawaii know that we can’t remain dependent on imported oil for our energy needs. Pacific Biodiesel has shown that homegrown renewable energy companies can be sustainable—and grow and create jobs here in Hawaii. Congresswoman Hirono’s plan is about laying the groundwork for a sustainable economy that supports these types of businesses, engages all stakeholders, and helps to keep us focused on continuing the progress we’ve made together.” Kelly King, vice president of Pacific Biodiesel To help Hawaii become more energy independent, the plan calls for: 1. Ending subsidies to oil companies and instead investing in Hawaii’s clean energy industry. 2. Helping our families manage prices at the pump during our clean energy transition. 3. Making sure our workforce gets the training needed for the clean energy jobs of tomorrow. 4. Helping families and businesses reduce costs and increase energy efficiency. Please click here to read the full report. In addition, please send your ideas on how we can build Hawaii's sustainable future to sustainablehawaii@mail.house.gov. “In Hawaii, we know what the future looks like a lot sooner than the rest of the country. The path our nation needs to take is one where we level the playing field for clean energy. A plan like this that looks to the future and helps invest in a wide range of clean energy options is how we’ll make Hawaii energy self-sustainable.” Warren Bollmeier, president of the Hawaii Renewable Energy Alliance
Working For Hawaii Leading America Toward Energy Independence: Congresswoman Hirono was proud to cosponsor the bipartisan 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act to help move our nation forward and save our families money on their energy bills. This landmark legislation: · Increased energy efficiency standards for consumer products, such as light bulbs, dishwashers, refrigerators, and freezers. · Increased energy efficiency standards for buildings. · Increased the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) standards for cars, light trucks, and SUVs to 35 miles per gallon by 2020. This was the first increase in CAFÉ standards since 1975. These increased standards were projected to save consumers roughly $1,000 per year at the pump. · Set a new renewable fuels standard for transportation fuels that requires annual increases in the use of biofuels and helps decrease our dependency on foreign oil. The increases began to be phased in during 2008 and will continue through 2022. · Promoted more research and production of clean energy. For example, the legislation provided funding for the “Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, Research, Development, and Analysis” grant program. Through this program, projects like the Kauai Island Utility Coop’s installation of smart meters and the University of Hawaii Systems’ research and training programs in smart grid technologies received funding. · Helped more than 700 low-income families in Hawaii save money by making their homes more energy efficient through the Weatherization Assistance Program.
Putting America on the Road to Recovery through Clean Energy: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which Congresswoman Hirono supported, invested in projects throughout Hawaii that have the potential to revolutionize our energy use. More than 100 Hawaii businesses including Aloha Shoyu, HonBlue, Island Dairy, Inc., and Common Ground Kauai received approximately $63 million in grants for installing clean energy projects that would support their work. Significant investments to modernize our electrical grid were made, including: · Hawaiian Electric Company received $5 million to help better manage electricity in East Oahu. · The Maui Smart Grid Project received $7 million. · Kauai Island Utility Cooperative received $5.5 million for their smart grid project. · The Kahuku Wind Project on Oahu received $117 million in innovative financing and loans, building on investments made in the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act. Kahuku Wind produces enough energy to power up to 7,700 homes on Oahu. ARRA helped Hawaii lead the way on getting people into electric cars with a $4.5 million investment. This helped with the installation of more than 200 new electric vehicle charging stations at more than 80 locations statewide, the state will now have one charging station for every 5,500 residents. Part of that funding also helped the state offer $1.4 million for car and charging station rebates. Since March 2011, the owners of more than 370 electric vehicles and almost 250 chargers have received rebates. The rebate offer was so successful that the state has added another $350,000 to the program and pushed the deadline for the rebates to November 1, 2012. Helping Small Businesses Save on Energy: Working with 16 House and Senate colleagues, Congresswoman Hirono helped encourage leaders in the Senate and House to invest in a $1 million retrofitting initiative for small businesses. This amendment, which Congresswoman Hirono cosponsored, was included in the appropriations bill for the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development that President Obama signed into law in December 2011. Encouraging Military Investments in Hawaii-Made Energy: To help drive innovation and provide a stable, national market for clean fuels, Congresswoman Hirono cosponsored legislation to extend military contracts for advanced biofuel purchases from 5 years to 15 years. Provisions expressing Congress’s support for the DOD’s use of long-term contracts was included in both the Fiscal Year 2012 National Defense Authorization Act and the consolidated appropriations bill that were both signed into law by President Obama in December of 2011. Supported an Operational Energy Strategy: Recognizing that its reliance on fossil fuels not only drained financial resources but also placed lives in danger on the battlefield, the U.S. military has endeavored for the first time to develop and implement an Operational Energy Strategy, which was supported by Congresswoman Hirono. The law established an Assistant Secretary of Defense for Operational Energy Plans and Programs. The military is currently implementing the Operational Energy Strategy on a service-wide basis—and doing so successfully. Each service has budgeted significant funds for implementing energy efficiency measures, research and development of new fuel sources, and other programs. Hawaii’s installations have been particular leaders, with the Navy launching the first alternative fueling stations at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, as well as sustainability initiatives undertaken by the U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii. Fighting Speculation that Drives Up Energy Costs: Congresswoman Hirono supported the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which gave the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and Securities and Exchange Commission additional authority to address speculation in energy markets. She has also fought to see that the CFTC and SEC receive enough funding to carry out these new responsibilities. Developing Green Technology: Congresswoman Hirono has supported developing Smart Grid technology and battery research which will help incorporate renewable energy on the existing electric grid and store energy from sources like solar and wind more efficiently. She encouraged President Obama to include a Smart Grid Hub in his 2013 budget. A Smart Grid Hub would complement existing federal energy research hubs, which act as “think tanks” seeking answers to some of the toughest energy challenges our nation faces. She also supports legislation to provide tax incentives for battery technology installations and to provide innovative financing and loans for clean energy projects through the U.S. Department of Energy. Such programs have helped to finance the Kahuku Wind project on Oahu. |
