Going green isn't just a choice anymore

SB 558 / Relating to Environment

By Lyndsay Yee / Heart of Hawaii

"“Go Green!” has been a hot topic recently in the United States.  Knowledge and education about the environment has risen to an entirely new level. And now activists and pro-active participants are having their voices heard.  On January 23 bill SB 558 was introduced into Hawaii’s State Legislature.

The purpose of this bill is to encourage Hawaii to reunite with the global energy market and reduce Hawaii’s vulnerability. 

If passed, this bill would encourage the use of competitively priced ethanol produced in Hawaii from locally grown renewable feedstock or waste materials, when available.  This would also include all government vehicles to comply and meet the standards of local energy sources.

Currently Hawaii imports 90% of all its energy needs, relying on 77% oil and 18% coal, according to Tonya Boyd of the Geothermal Heat Center.  No other state is so critically dependent on oil in the United States.  

It is inevitable that Hawaii, as will the United States and the world, have to detach themselves from their dependencies on oil.  And by passing this bill Hawaii would be taking a greater step towards reducing imported oil and imported alternative energy sources.  In addition, by creating on-island energy resources, this can help Hawaii’s residents to reduce the cost of living, create new jobs and potentially raise Hawaii’s annual revenue. 

Hawaii’s ecosystem offers many options to alternative resources for energy.  Hawaii is fortune enough to have sunlight for the better part of the year, which offers the option for solar power.  Hawaii also has wind that meets the utility-scale production level.  Meaning that in certain areas on each island there is wind consistent enough to produce enough energy to meet the standard need.  Biomass is another option for Hawaii.  Biomass is taking all of the “leftovers” from mill wastes, urban waste, agricultural and forest residues and turning that into energy, which could be eventually filtered into homes.  And lastly Hawaii has the option to go geothermal.  Geothermal is nothing new to the islands and has been in discussion amongst officials for decades.  Geothermal energy is produce by steam; the steam taken from natural sources such as Mount Kilauea is enough to generate the vast majority of Hawaii’s occupants. 

The choice for Hawaii and the world is not if we should choose a alternative energy source, the choice is now is which one?

This bill is sponsored by Senator Mike Gabbard, Senator J. Kalani English, Theodore E Liu and WSPA.