HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0608.119 2020-2022 P/Council I
Bill 120
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COUNTY OF HAWAII
From: David Mulinix
Sent: Tuesday, September 06, 2022 11:34 AM 1011 SEP _6 AN II: 50
To: Council Testimony
Subject: "Please support Bill 120"
Aloha Council,
On behalf of Our Revolution Hawaii's 5,000 members and supporters statewide we stand in stand in STRONG SUPPORT of the
passage of BILL 120 that will enforce the Hawaii State law that calls for Electric Vehicle chargers to be installed in large parking
structures,for the stations to be maintained, and for enforcement of rules related to parking in the designated stalls. When passed,
Bill 120 will increase the number of reliable charging stations around Hawaii island.This will allow for more equitable access to clean
transportation and accelerate Hawaii's transition to Electric Vehicles.
Passing Bill's like 120 are essential if we are going to cut our carbon emissions to avoid perpetual ever increasing Climate Chaos. The
latest United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC)report 2022 warned that the world is set to reach the 1.52C
level within the next two decades and said that only the most drastic cuts in carbon emissions from now on would help prevent an
environmental disaster. The IPCC report shows that greenhouse gas emissions are continuing to rise,and current government plans
- to address Climate Change are not ambitious enough to limit warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels—a threshold scientists
believe is necessary to avoid even more catastrophic impacts.
Bill 120 is a very good step forward for Hawaii to help the world reach our shared goal of cutting carbon emissions before it is too
late.
One major way to quicly cut carbon emissions is to transition away from gasoline vehicles to Electric Vehicles ASAP, however one of
the major obstacles for this transition is a lack of charging stations on Hawaii Island. In order for residents to have adequate access
to recharging their Electric Vehicle's batteries there needs to be an adequate number of public charging stations.
The benefits and important points about Bill 120 are that:
• Adequate, reliable public charging allows a broader and more equitable adoption of electric vehicles. Many residents live in
condos,apartments,and rental homes that make it difficult or impossible to install a home charging station.They will rely on public
charging stations to'fuel'their cars.
• EV owners with long commutes rely on public chargers to top off,and Bill 120 will ensure charging stations will be available and
maintained.
• Good public EV charging will be required to expand our EV rental fleet.Visitors require a good public charging network to rent EVs.
• Public EV chargers offer businesses a host of economic and brand benefits.
•Tax credits and the Hawaii Energy Commercial EV Charging Rebate offset the cost of acquiring and installing stations.The pending
HECO EV Charger Make Ready may also help offset costs.
For the benefit of us all,we encourage you to pass,Bill 120.
Mahalo for your kind attention.
Malama Pono, Dave Mulinix
Hawaii Statewide Organizer
Our Revolution Hawaii
Comm. No. (p0,1.I iq
Ref.To: P(wool
Ref. Date SEP - 7 2022