The hidden hand of the state is reaching for your car keys

by Keli'i Akina, Ph.D., President/CEO, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

In a beautiful state like ours, so full of natural wonders, it is no surprise that preserving the environment should be such an evocative issue. A problem arises, however, when legislative efforts to do so begin to seriously interfere with our economic health or liberty.

We've already seen the impact of regulation on agriculture and business, but that might be just a sign of things to come. Recently, the Grassroot Institute offered testimony on HB 2085, a seemingly innocuous bill that hopes to set out a plan to eliminate the state's dependence on fossil fuels.

The issue? The plan sets a date of 2045 to eliminate the use of imported fossil fuels for ground transportation. In practical terms, that means no gas powered cars, taxis, buses, etc. The Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism testified that this goal meant that by 2028, every car sold in the state would have to be electric or hydrogen cell powered. That leaves an obvious question: How would it be possible to accomplish this without laws restricting the cars people could buy?

We all know how the high cost of living makes it difficult for the average family to get by in this state. Bills like this don't help, as they put artificial targets ahead of the practical reality of living in Hawaii. Instead of spending their time coming up with new environmental mandates, the legislature would be well-advised to do some real-world studies of the economic effect of such legislation.

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HB2085: Ban Sale of Gasoline, Diesel Vehicles in Hawaii