Hanabusa Welcomes EPA Greenhouse Gas Standards for Hawaii

Press Release

U.S Representative Colleen Hanabusa (HI-01) today welcomed President Obama's announcement of EPA rules regulating greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants. The proposed rule requires a national reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the electric power sector of 30% from a 2005 baseline level by 2030. The rules announced today would require a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from Hawaii's electric power producing sector of about 15.2% off of 2012 levels by 2030.

According to Hanabusa, Hawaii was well on its way to meeting those standards before they were announced, thanks in part to laws passed while she served as President of the Hawaii State Senate.

"We did a lot of the heavy lifting on that back in 2009," Hanabusa said, "when the Hawaii legislature passed legislation supporting Hawaii's Clean Energy Initiative. While Hawaii had originally set renewable energy goals in 2001 and raised its targets in 2004, I believe it was the expansion of Hawaii's renewable portfolio standards in 2009 that formalized many of the goals established by the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative. The legislation significantly expanded Hawaii's renewable portfolio standard and increased the amount of renewable electrical energy generation required by utilities to 40% by 2030. It also established an ambitious energy-efficiency portfolio standard of 4,300 gigawatt hours of electricity use reductions statewide by 2030, a goal that Hawaii's Public Utilities Commission says is effective and achievable.

"I was proud to have played a role in helping to pass those standards for Hawaii. It was a good example of bi-partisan, state and federal cooperation between the U.S. Department of Energy, the Lingle administration, and the Hawaii legislature that let our state lead the nation in achieving important clean energy goals."

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