Bill Text: HI HCR55 | 2019 | Regular Session | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Requesting The Governor To Convene A Working Group To Make Recommendations On The Consolidation Of State Environmental Functions And The Establishment Of A Department Of The Environment.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-05-02 - Resolution adopted in final form. [HCR55 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2019-HCR55-Introduced.html

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	55
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

Requesting the hawaii emergency management agency to assess the resilience of the electric power supply to the State's critical infrastructure and emergency shelters.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii's electric grid is vulnerable to impacts caused by extreme weather events or other natural disasters, which are increasing in frequency and intensity as a result of global climate change; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency estimates that it would take at least two weeks after landfall of a category four hurricane on Oahu to restore eighty per cent of grid power, which most public emergency shelters in the State do not have the capacity to provide; and

 

     WHEREAS, the State's energy-generating infrastructure is susceptible to storm surges because most structures are located at or near coastlines; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii can learn lessons from the devastation Puerto Rico suffered from Hurricane Maria in 2017, which left a majority of the island's residents without power for months and created a humanitarian crisis; and

 

     WHEREAS, ensuring that all critical infrastructure has access to resilient electrical sources is an important component to the State's ability to prepare for and respond to a natural disaster; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2019, the Senate concurring, that the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency is requested to assess the resilience of the electric power supply to the State's critical infrastructure and emergency shelters; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency is requested to submit a comprehensive report of findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, no later than December 31, 2019, which shall include:

 

     (1)  The location of each identified facility;

 

     (2)  The estimated capacity of each emergency shelter;

 

     (3)  The estimated critical electrical load of each critical infrastructure location; provided that "critical electrical load" means the minimum amount of electrical generation necessary for the critical infrastructure to perform its essential functions during or following a natural disaster;

 

     (4)  Whether each critical infrastructure location has sufficient access to a source of backup electricity such that it would be capable of generating enough electricity during an electrical grid outage to perform essential functions without significant interruption; and

 

     (5)  With respect to each critical infrastructure location, a list of improvements that are reasonably necessary to ensure that each critical infrastructure location can continue operations during or following a natural disaster or state of emergency; provided that any electricity generation technology used in such grid resiliency improvements shall be consistent with the State's renewable portfolio standards in section 269-92, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

HI-EMA; Electric Resilience; Emergency Shelters; Critical Infrastructure