Senator J. Kalani English
Chair, Committee on Energy, Environment, and International Affairs
State Capitol, Room 205
Honolulu, Hawai'i 96813
Contact: Chris Vandercook 808-586-5886
vandercook@capitol.hawaii.gov

PRESS RELEASE
October 16, 2006

SENATORS ENGLISH AND HEMMINGS ISSUE BIPARTISAN CALL FOR INVESTIGATION OF PROLONGED POWER FAILURE

Senator J. Kalani English (D-Hāna, East and Upcountry Maui, Moloka‘i, Lāna‘i, and Kaho‘olawe) and Senator Fred Hemmings (R-Kailua, Lanikai, Waimanalo, Hawai'i Kai) today called on the State Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to conduct a thorough investigation of the prolonged power blackout that followed yesterday's earthquake. Sen. English is Chair of the Senate Committee on Energy, Environment, and International Affairs; Sen. Hemmings is a member of the committee.

Sen. English said, "The people of Hawai'i have a right to know why they were left without electrical power for so long – and why our power grid is so vulnerable. We need to give the Public Utilities Commission the resources to conduct a thorough and independent investigation." Sen. Hemmings added, "We need to know the circumstances behind the catastrophic failure to deliver the most expensive electricity in the nation to the people of our state. The loss of electricity over such a wide area had a far more damaging impact than the earthquake. The people of Hawai'i pay 150 percent of the national average for electrical power, and they have a right to an explanation."

Both Senators view energy security as a key issue for Hawai'i, a state whose physical isolation and dependence on power plants that burn fossil fuels have given it the highest energy costs in the nation. "We need to be able to get our electrical power up and running far more quickly in the event of a catastrophe." Sen. English said. "To meet that goal, we need to take a hard look at what happened yesterday and learn as much as we can – in order to do better the next time." Sen. Hemmings, who watched grocery stores throwing away spoiled food at 3 a.m. Monday morning, said the blackout will have a far-reaching economic impact. "Our citizens are hit hard by the cost of electrical energy, and we need to know how our money is being spent when electrical power is needed most."

Both senators are longtime advocates of energy reform. As Sen. English wrote in an editorial published in March of this year: "Energy reform is essential to the security of our economic system: our health care, our food supply and our transportation. Too often we look at energy reform and security as separate areas of concern. It's time to revise our view, and understand that true security for Hawai'i can only come through an overhaul of the ways we import, consume and produce energy." Sen. Hemmings and Sen. English agreed that "We should turn yesterday's events into a historic opportunity to improve and safeguard the delivery of electrical energy to the people of Hawai'i."

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