What are you reading?

"The End of Oil" by Paul Roberts. It was first published in 2004 and he did an updated afterword in 2005 because things are moving so fast. It's an excellent book. It's compelling, and it's a warning signal, as it may be too late to make the changes that we need to make — that's on the climate change end.

How did you discover the book?

When I was running for the United States Senate, the main issue I focused on was totally eliminating our dependence on foreign oil and developing renewable energy. I was looking for books that examine this issue and came across this one after the election and grabbed it. I've been reading it ever since. I jumped to the afterword when I read the renewable energy section. I'm hoping he's going to take on the development of renewable energy in the future.

Energy has long been your focus, but does Roberts' discounting of available renewable technologies "fuel" your desire to make that Hawai'i's priority in the coming session?

Absolutely. I don't think we have the option to delay. That's my message, and I'll keep saying it: Get off foreign oil. It's linked to terrorism and nations that support terrorism. Get off foreign oil, particularly in Hawai'i with our renewable energy potential.