Posted on: Thursday, May 17, 2001

Island Voices
State must commit to renewable energy

By Henry Curtis
Executive director of Life of the Land

Life of the Land is appalled that Hawai'i is the most oil-dependent state in the nation at 93 percent dependence. Hawai'i also has the dubious distinction of paying the highest utility rates in the nation.

Life of the Land is an intervenor in several Public Utilities Commission dockets on energy planning. We are calling for the diversification of fuels and the increased used of clean, green, local renewable energy.

Renewable portfolio standards will diversify our portfolio of energy options and incrementally increase Hawai'i's use of our indigenous resources (such as wind, sun and ocean thermal energy conversion) and decrease our over-dependence on imported oil.

We are currently exporting over $1 billion a year from our slowly recovering economy to purchase foreign fossil fuel. Just as an investment adviser would not put all his clients' money into one stock, Hawai'i should not put all of its energy dollars into one source of fuel — oil.

The Hawai'i Constitution, Article XI, Section 1, states: "For the benefit of present and future generations, the State and its political subdivisions shall conserve and protect Hawai'i's natural beauty and all natural resources, including ... energy resources, and shall promote the development and utilization of these resources in a manner consistent with their conservation and in furtherance of the self-sufficiency of the State."

The 1978 Constitutional Convention's Committee on Environment, Agriculture, Conservation and Land wrote in its report: "The consensus of your committee with regard to self-sufficiency was to constitutionally recognize the growing concern and awareness of Hawai'i as being overly dependent on outside sources for, among other resources, food and energy.

"Your committee spent much time considering the need for a separate section on an energy policy for the state. However, it was concluded that the promotion of energy conservation, the development of clean, renewable sources of energy and the achievement of increased energy self-sufficiency would be adequately covered by the provisions of this section."

Over the past decade, Hawai'i has moved away from this constitutional mandate.

Local renewable energy production will keep money in Hawai'i, create local, high-technology jobs and diversify our economy.