Senators don't intend to repeal gas cap

KHON 2 TV News
Thursday, February 16, 2006 05:54 PM

Tina Shelton

State senators made it clear on Thursday they don't intend to repeal Hawaii's Gas Cap Law, even though their colleagues in the House want to.

Senators deleted language calling for a repeal.

The Senate Energy and Consumer Protection Committees passed a package of energy related bills on Thursday, but first they carefully excised the gas cap repeal from the package.

"Well, I'm satisfied that we removed it from the governor's bill, and at this particular time, I don't think the Senate is entertaining the idea of looking at the gas cap repeal," says Senator J. Kalani English, D-Energy Committee chairman.

"Instead of talking about repealing or suspending our existing law, I think the legislature should be looking very closely at recommendations that I've made to further improve and strengthen the law," says Senator Ron Menor, D-Consumer Protection chairman.

Governor Linda Lingle proposed repealing the five-month-old gas cap in a set of energy bills she watched lawmakers consider on Thursday.

The governor said what lawmakers left in was more important.

"I'm focused on the comprehensive strategic plan much more than I am on the gas cap issue," says Governor Lingle.

The governor can afford to be diplomatic because the House and Senate are doing the fighting over gas caps for now among themselves.

Seventy-seven percent of the energy we use in Hawaii comes from imported oil. The energy bills approved on Thursday would reduce that by encouraging things like agriculture to produce bio-fuel.

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Original article URL: http://khon.com/khon/print.cfm?sid=1153&storyID=11389

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