MEDIA RELEASE

* Hilo – Monday, November 16 – 5:30-7 p.m. – Office of Aging Conference Room – 1055 Kinoole Street Suite 101

* Kona – Tuesday, November 17 – 5:30-7 p.m. – Department of Liquor Control – Kona Hearings Room 75-5722 Hanama Place, Suite 1107, Kailua

The public is invited to workshops to be held in all counties to review the work plans being considered by the Hawaii Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Task Force to recommend to the legislature at year’s end.

“This task force was formed by statute to develop cost-effective measures for doing Hawaii’s part in reducing greenhouse gasses and their effect on climate change,” said Ted Liu, co-chairman, Greenhouse Gas Emissions Task Force. “We are considering the likely effects of existing laws in addition to the many projects in the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative to meet the objective of the law.

The task force was formed in 2007 by the legislature to mitigate the effects of global warming, which can cause problems such as sea level rise, shoreline erosion, saltwater intrusion into water supply; ocean acidification, reef breakdown; warmer ocean surfaces; crop and forest changes and loss of habitats; more severe storms and weather patterns; and health effects and disease.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions can benefit the environmental and economic well-being of Hawaii and supports the goals of the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI) by using technology and practical solutions to switch to a clean energy economy.

HCEI seeks to lessen Hawaii’s dependency on imported oil, protect our environment, keep money in the local economy, and position Hawaii as a leader in innovation and utilizing indigenous renewable power.

State law calls for the reduction greenhouse gas emissions in Hawaii, caused mostly by oil and coal-based electricity generation and transportation to the 1990 levels or below by the year 2020.

The draft work plans, their assumptions, and other materials are available for review at: www.hawaii.gov/dbedt/info/energy/greenhouse