Bill Text: HI HB1473 | 2012 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: Highway Lighting; Shielded Light Fixtures

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-12-01 - Carried over to 2012 Regular Session. [HB1473 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2012-HB1473-Amended.html

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STAND. COM. REP. NO.  482

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2011

 

RE:   H.B. No. 1473

      H.D. 2

 

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection, to which was referred H.B. No. 1473, H.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HIGHWAYS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this bill is to provide an environmentally friendly strategy for the lighting of Hawaii's roads and highways by requiring the installation of full-cutoff or semi-cutoff lighting fixtures on all outdoor lighting to direct the lighting downward.

 

A concerned individual testified in support of this bill.  The University of Hawaii System, Department of Design and Construction of the City and County of Honolulu (DDC), and Hawaii Starlight Reserve Committee testified in support of the intent of this measure.  The Department of Transportation (DOT) opposed this measure.

 

     The use of full-cutoff or semi-cutoff lighting fixtures on Hawaii's roadways and highways will conserve energy and resources while maintaining appropriate outdoor lighting suitable for safety, utility, and security.  These types of fixtures are also environmentally friendly and reduce the impact of non-shielded roadway lighting on endangered species.

 

     However, DOT noted that installation of these lighting fixtures will have fiscal implications because it will require the installation of additional light poles to safely illuminate a roadway.  While your Committee appreciates this fact, and the fact that DOT must meet federal highway standards that dictate the amount of illumination necessary for roadway safety, this matter deserves further discussion.  Additionally, your Committee notes that similar concerns were raised by DDC regarding the practical implications of the lighting fixture requirement.  Providing certain, specific exemptions to this requirement may address these concerns.

 

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

 

     (1)  Specifying the illumination standard a full-cutoff or semi-cutoff lighting fixture should provide;

 

     (2)  Providing an exemption from the use of full-cutoff or semi-cutoff lighting fixtures in instances where it is not practical due to light pole spacing; and

 

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

 

     Finally, your Committee respectfully requests that DOT research the benefits of performance contracting that will save energy costs, when planning and developing future projects.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1473, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1473, H.D. 2.

 

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection,

 

 

____________________________ HERMINA MORITA, Chair