From CleanTechnica.

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Hawaii is a fascinating story in the clean energy transition. Isolated, but with abundant natural resources, the islands have a unique blend of incredibly high prices of electricity made by imported fuels and a historic reliance on them, the result of path dependency and short term solutions that have pervaded Hawaii politics. The state was the first to make a full commitment to 100% clean energy. In this video, two of the key players in that commitment, Senator Chris Lee (who authored the law), and Lorraine Akiba (who helped shepherd it through as a Commissioner at the public utility commission) speak to the crossroads faced by Hawaii currently, as it considers a significant taxpayer investment in expanded fossil fuel infrastructure (imported liquid natural gas), which has been pushed by the Governor’s office. Recent studies and expert testimony have shown the LNG plan is not as clear a path as it was first purported to be, with significant financial overruns not accounted for in the original analysis pushed by proponents and PR firms hired by foreign companies looking to lock Hawaii into long term natural gas import contracts. Still, proponents argue that LNG is the best alternative for Hawaii. This panel explores what the future holds for Hawaii’s energy ecosystem. Also featured is Ben Sullivan, former head of the Office of Climate Change and Resilience for the city and county of Honolulu. Moderated by State Representative Nicole Lowen.