REP FESC 001 03/11/2008 2006-2008

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REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON FOOD AND ENERGY SUSTAINABILITY DATE: March 11, 2008 RE: Comm. No. 1051/Res. No. 546-08 PLACE: Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort and Spa 78-128 Ehukai Street Kailua-Kona, Hawaii TIME: 8:00 a.m. Council Chair and Members Hawaii County Council Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Your Committee on Food and Energy Sustainability, to which was referred Resolution No. 546-08, reports as follows: Resolution No. 546-08, transmitted by Council Chair Pete Hoffmann via Communication No. 1051, dated February 25, 2008, recommends a minimum fuel-efficiency standard of 35 miles per gallon (mpg) for highway driving, as measured by the Environmental Protection Agency, for passenger vehicles purchased by the County. The Congress of the United States recently enacted H.R. 6, Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which was signed into law by President Bush on December 19, 2007. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 raises the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for cars and light trucks, including SUVs, to an average of 35 mpg by 2020. The purpose of this resolution is to have the County of Hawaii take the lead in the effort to reduce the County's dependence on fossil fuels and other imported resources for electrical energy and transportation by requiring all future passenger vehicles purchased for the County fleet to have a minimum average of 35 mpg for highway driving. This resolution also requires the administration to monitor the performance of the first 10 new fuel-efficient vehicles purchased and to provide a cost-benefit analysis to the Council prior to the submission of the 2008-2009 Operating Budget on March 1, 2009. The only testifier, Ms. Hope Louise Cermelj, who testified from Kailua-Kona, stated that Yavapai County, Arizona, requires all their county vehicles to be 35 mpg or better. She also stated that Ford and Dodge give fleet prices for counties in the mainland and that it would probably be the same for Hawaii. Council Chair Pete Hoffmann stated that this is just the first step in moving forward with the efforts articulated in both the Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Plan and the Hawaii County Sustainable Energy Plan. He emphasized that the administration will monitor the performance of these vehicles to make sure that the County is on the right track and that there is proof that what's being done is the right thing. Chair Hoffmann asked his colleagues to support the resolution. FESC Report No. 01