Bill Text: HI SB2910 | 2018 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Relating To Electric Grid Resiliency.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 11-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2018-04-27 - Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Friday, 04-27-18 at 5:00PM in Conference Room 225. [SB2910 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2018-SB2910-Amended.html
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THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
2910 |
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TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018 |
S.D. 2 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO ELECTRIC GRID RESILIENCY.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that in September 2017, Hurricanes Irma and Maria struck Puerto Rico with devastating force, causing an estimated $95,000,000,000 in damages to the island, including extensive damages to the island's electrical infrastructure. Recent estimates predict that power in Puerto Rico will not be fully restored until spring of 2018, thus leaving some residents without power for half a year. The prolonged lack of electrical power has left the residents of Puerto Rico without essential services and has created a humanitarian crisis. The interdependencies between different critical infrastructure sectors, including energy, water, transportation, and communications, have further complicated restoration efforts in Puerto Rico, underscoring the need for systemic resiliency planning.
The legislature further finds that a direct hit on Oahu from a similar category five hurricane would almost certainly cause extensive property damage and extended power outages across the island. Moreover, much of the State's energy-generating infrastructure is susceptible to storm surges due to the structures being located at or near coastlines. The Hawaii emergency management agency estimates that under a best-case scenario, it would take at least fourteen days after landfall of a category four hurricane on Oahu to restore eighty per cent of grid power. Most public emergency shelters in the State do not have the capacity to provide two weeks of electrical service, and relief from the mainland is dependent upon a functioning airport and seaport. Furthermore, the risks of a natural disaster increase with the impacts of climate change. Scientists have described 2017 as the most weather destructive year on record and have opined that the number of extreme weather events will continue to increase.
The legislature hereby declares that it shall be the policy of the State to ensure that the State is prepared to withstand natural disasters and other emergencies and protect the State's critical infrastructure and its citizens by making investments in grid resiliency. The goals of this policy are to:
(1) Prevent or reduce the severity of damage to the electric grid from a natural disaster or state of emergency;
(2) Enable faster recovery of normal grid operations after a grid outage due to a natural disaster or state of emergency; and
(3) Maintain critical loads at critical infrastructure, such as hospitals, fire stations, police stations, airports, and seaports during a grid outage due to a natural disaster or state of emergency.
The purpose of this Act is to create a homeland security and resiliency council to identify electric grid and other critical infrastructure needs and provide recommendations for enhancing grid and critical infrastructure resiliency throughout the State.
SECTION 2. Chapter 128A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:
"§128A- Homeland security and resiliency council;
membership; duties. (a) There is established a homeland security and
resiliency council, which shall be placed within the office of homeland
security for administrative purposes.
(b) The council shall comprise the following
members or their designees:
(1) The director of
homeland security, who shall serve as the co-chair of the council;
(2) The
director of the office of planning, who shall serve as co-chair of the council;
(3) The
administrator of the Hawaii emergency management agency;
(4) The
director of transportation;
(5) The
executive officer of the public utilities commission;
(6) The
directors of each of the county emergency management agencies;
(7) The
directors of each of the county water supply departments.
(c) The president of the senate and the speaker
of the house shall jointly invite:
(1) Representatives
of each electric utility company operating in Hawaii;
(2) Representatives
of each telecommunications company serving at least one hundred thousand
customers in Hawaii; and
(3) Representatives
of each fuel importer and fuel refiner operating in Hawaii.
(d) In addition to the members listed in
subsections (b) and (c), the co-chairs of the council may request the
participation or input of members of the public; experts in the field; county,
state, or federal officials; or others as necessary.
(e) Members of the council shall serve without
compensation, but shall be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in the
performance of their duties.
(f) The council shall:
(1) Establish
strategies, goals, priorities, and recommendations to enhance the security and
resiliency of the electric grid and other critical infrastructure sectors in
the State, and give appropriate consideration to interdependencies between the
sectors and to differing needs of communities based on location, access to
resources, and vulnerabilities; and
(2) Assess
the capacity and availability of existing resources and identify new sources of
revenue necessary to enhance resiliency of critical infrastructure sectors.
(g) The council shall submit a report summarizing
its findings, recommendations, and the status of actions to enhance electric
grid and other critical infrastructure sector security and resiliency to the
governor, legislature, and mayor and county council of each county no later
than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2019, and
every two years thereafter.
(h) In carrying out its duties, the council, to
the extent permitted by law, shall take appropriate measures to protect from public
release any confidential or sensitive information if the release of that
information could expose critical infrastructure to attack or damage.
(i) Nothing in this section shall be deemed to delegate or detract in any way from the functions, powers, and duties conferred by law or ordinance on any state or county department or agency."
SECTION 3. Section 128A-2, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding three new definitions to be appropriately inserted and to read as follows:
""Critical
infrastructure sector" means a sector whose assets, systems, and networks,
whether physical or virtual, are vital to the State's security, economic
security, public health or safety, or any combination thereof, including but
not limited to the water, transportation, electrical energy, fuel import and
refining, and communications sectors.
"Electric grid" means
the network of electric generators, transmission and distribution lines,
substations, energy storage devices, and supporting infrastructure used to
produce and deliver electricity to end-users.
"Resiliency" means the capacity to prevent or reduce the severity of damage from natural disaster or manmade emergencies, and to enable faster recovery of normal infrastructure operations after a natural disaster or manmade emergency."
SECTION 4. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2018-2019 for the homeland security and resiliency council to perform its duties under chapter 128A, Hawaii Revised Statutes.
The sum appropriated shall be expended by the office of homeland security for the purposes of this Act.
SECTION 5. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2050.
Report Title:
Homeland Security and Resiliency Council; Appropriation
Description:
Establishes a homeland security and resiliency council to assess the resilience of the State's electric grid and other critical infrastructure to natural disasters and other emergencies and make recommendations. Requires the council to report to legislature. Appropriates funds. Effective July 1, 2050. (SD2)
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
