HANALEI ROTARY LUNCHEON SPEECH - SEPTEMBER 13, 2001

The September 11 events have made it appallingly clear that we are living in troubled times. As each new day approaches, closer to the dismantling of the Taliban regime, we reflect what the future will hold. First, I want to touch on some political realities and trends. Then, I would like to paint a picture of what the future could hold for Hawaii as we develop our renewable energy potential.

I would like to read the opening paragraph of an article I read recently which captures the state of the world prior to September 11.

"Just beyond the horizon of current events lie two possible political futures -- both bleak, neither democratic. The first is a retribalization of large swaths of humankind by war and bloodshed: a threatened Lebanonization of national states in which culture is pitted against culture, people against people, tribe against tribe -- a Jihad in the name of a hundred narrowly conceived faiths against every kind of interdependence, every kind of artificial social cooperation and civic mutuality. The second is being borne in on us by the onrush of economic and ecological forces that demand integration and uniformity and that mesmerize the world with fast music, fast computers, and fast food -- with MTV, Macintosh, and McDonald's, pressing nations into one commercially homogenous global network: one McWorld tied together by technology, ecology, communications, and commerce. The planet is falling precipitantly apart AND coming reluctantly together at the very same moment."

This Atlantic Monthly article was written in 1992 and was the basis for a 1995 book entitled Jihad versus McWorld by Benjamin Barber.

In my opinion, both fanaticism and globalization will fail to meet our most basic needs like clean air, clean water, good sanitation practices, the prevention of disease, all the components for an acceptable standard of living throughout the world. As we have seen in Afghanistan, religious ideology has not provided for the basic needs of citizens too poor to escape the Taliban oppressive regime. And in globalization, we have witnessed too many times corporate non-responsibility tossing the environment and humane conditions to the wayside as profits and markets shape the bottom-line.

In my view of the world, specifically from the perspective as Chair of the House Energy & Environmental Protection Committee, I see energy issues as a root problem contributing to the September 11 tragedy. However, I also see energy, that is renewable energy, as an avenue to peace . . . thus placing us at a very critical juncture.

In 1874, Jules Verne, in his book, The Mysterious Island, writes of a world in which water and the separation of hydrogen from oxygen would make "the coal of the future". In the 1970's, the late Hawaii United States Senator Spark Matsunaga helped to lay a foundation for hydrogen as the ultimate energy source and one of the stepping stones towards his larger legacy of world peace.

It has taken one hundred years to move the idea of using hydrogen, the simplest, lightest and most abundant element in the universe as a primary form of energy from the pages of science fiction into its first political arena, the U.S. Senate.

It has taken another thirty years to move the discussion to another political arena, the Hawaii State Legislature to create new economic and environmental opportunities for Hawaii.

And, recently it has also moved mainstream, from corporate boardrooms showing up in advertisement from Toyota, Honda, BMW and Ford all touting next generation cars – fuel cell automobiles fueled by hydrogen with water as its only emission. And, also, corporations like British Petroleum advertising B.P. as Beyond Petroleum and Shell with its Shell Hydrogen and Shell Renewables divisions.

But, most importantly, the energy industry is facing something that has already happened to the telecommunications industry and within information technology – decentralization and miniaturization. Let me give you two examples of decentralization and miniaturization. First, in telecommunications we have seen the breakup of Ma Bell and the entry of wireless communication. Remember the cell phones people carried over shoulders and now we have cell phones that fit in the palm of your hand. Second, in computers we have gone from mainframes that would occupy entire rooms, to personal computers, laptops and now wireless handheld devices with 8 MB plus expansion cards.

These same trends are happening in the energy sector and the most significant change is how energy is generated and distributed which can ultimately result in the decentralization of political power affecting individuals, communities and countries.

For example, today, with available energy technology and emerging technology, this decentralization of political power is as small as person or business to function completely independent from the electrical transmission grid and the monopoly public utility.

On a larger scale, in a fossil fuel based economy the current political power is as influential as countries that have fossil fuel resources, such as the members of OPEC, over those countries that are dependent on imported fossil fuels for electricity and transportation needs like Japan and many European countries as well the United States. However, with renewable energy and the use of hydrogen, the balance of power has the potential to shift or become neutralized because unlike fossil fuels some form of renewable energy can be found in most parts of the world.

So there is no doubt that renewable energy and emerging technology is a major threat to the way current way oil rich countries and multi-national corporations function economically and politically.

But, unfortunately, the quest for power – both in the energy sense and political sense – leave many people behind. And, those left behind are the incubators of discontent that fuel the Jihad versus McWorld scenario that jeopardize not only our efforts for peace and quality of life but also assurances for a clean and healthy planet.

Can we develop a better vision for our world? We have to -- to give hope to our children and grandchildren as well as all children of the world.

Through renewable resources and the advancement of sustainable technologies there are very few reasons why all areas of the world cannot improve their standard of living. By improving standards of living I do not mean electrification that will bring Baywatch into every impoverished home. Instead, I see it as providing clean fuel for cooking or heating needs to improve indoor air quality – rather than a scouring for pieces of manure, coal or wood to burn. Rather than cutting down stands of vegetation for fuel, which could lead to soil erosion and threaten watershed/recharge areas, time could be spent more productively towards sustainable cultivation. Rather than hauling water in containers – providing for water pumping and transmission systems and hopefully, indoor plumbing systems as well as sewage treatment and solid waste disposal to provide for sanitary conditions.

Currently, Hawaii imports over 93% of its energy needs in the form of fossil fuels to meet its electricity and transportantion needs, costing over $1.5 billion per year. Therefore, what is happening in the energy sector, growing awareness and support of renewable energy, emerging technology and innovation is creating great opportunities for Hawaii.

Internationally respected and Hawaii’s own futurist, Dr. Jim Dator said, "to predict the future one must create the future." Let me share with you my hope for a better world beginning in Hawaii. And, I might add that all the technologies that I mention already exist.

In the year 2020 Hawaii and her sister Pacific Islands are powerful world exporters of energy known as HOPEC, Hydrogen of Pacific Exporting Communities, controlling the hydrogen commodity trading prices as active participants in a hydrogen based economy based on renewable resources such as solar, geothermal, biomass, wave and wind. Stored hydrogen aid in generating 100% uninterruptable power, attracting information technology firms to these islands because of their quality of life.

HECO, formerly known as Hawaiian Electric Company, now stands for Hydrogen Energy Company, exporting its hydrogen technical expertise worldwide. And, KE, formerly known as Kauai Electric has expanded its vision and is now Kauai Energy. Both organizations are responsible for an extensive net metering programs manufacturing hydrogen from excess renewable energy output.

The question, "do you want a power plant in your backyard?" is now met with a resounding YES as renewable energy resources and fuel cell technology has made every home, school and business a power generator and participant in HECO's and KE's net metering programs. Rooftops are a very valuable asset. Photovoltaic roofing shingles integrated into home, school and business building designs pour their excess power into the electrical transmission grid to be converted into hydrogen. Wind turbines mounted on street lamps combined with a one-foot square photovoltaic panel not only light streets at night but pour their excess power into the grid during the day.

The bundling of underground wiring systems and services with superconductivity wires puts to the grave the debate over high voltage transmission and other above ground lines not only improving the viewplanes throughout Hawaii but providing for energy security during those unpredictable high winds and hurricanes.

Hawaii truly becomes the Health State as air quality is excellent and traffic noise is nonexistent thanks to fuel cell automobiles and buses.

Rising gas prices, refineries, oil spills, leaking underground storage tanks – virtually unheard of, as gasoline filling stations have become extinct. Standard equipment for each home, business or fleet maintenance facility is an electrolyser which makes hydrogen from electricity produced from renewable energy and water.

The hydrogen economy brings a new prosperity to these Pacific islands based on sustainability and environmental stewardship improving the quality of life and increasing the standard of living of its residents as the rest of the world moves forward to model that success.

Hawaii's state motto now truly lives up to its meaning. Ua mau keia au o ka aina i ka pono. The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.

Can we create a better future for our children and children throughout the world? Of course we can.

As Winston Churchill said, “ There is no limit to the ingenuity of man if it is properly applied under conditions of peace and justice.”

District 14, East & North Kauai

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