HI SCR99

Request the Public Utilities Commission to address and adopt recommendations from the 1999 Legislative Reference Bureau report "Undergrounding Public Utility Lines" for converting overhead utility facilities to underground cables and equipment.

Direct the Public Utilities Commission to adopt three specific recommendations: (1) prioritize aesthetic benefits of natural landscapes in residential and conservation zones, (2) develop measures to quantify undergrounding benefits, and (3) establish a tax incentive or cost-share financing program for undergrounding.

Require the Public Utilities Commission to submit a report to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the 2023 Regular Session explaining its reasons for not adopting each recommendation.

Acknowledge that undergrounding provides benefits including enhanced scenic views, reduced wind damage risk, and increased system reliability, demonstrated by Hurricane Iniki in 1992 when it downed over 5,000 utility lines on Kauai leaving 14,350 homes without power.