HSEA's Executive Director Letter to the Editor StarAdvertiser

Date: 12/18/2012

Solar industry rules are legislative turf

Gov. Neil Abercrombie's characterization of the solar industry as "people who cheat" is a disservice to those who care about green energy.

The Hawaii Solar Energy Association has been working closely with policy makers to address the issue of state solar tax credits and wants the incentives fair and clear.

Nevertheless, the governor unilaterally pushed his Tax Department to implement energy policy that fails to fix any problems, makes solar more expensive for homeowners, slows Hawaii's goal of energy independence and hurts the state's solar industry, which accounts for 24 percent of our entire construction trade. Never mind that the role of the Tax Department is to interpret laws — not make new ones — and that the governor's new rule limiting state solar tax credits was put into effect with no public hearings.

Don't punish the whole solar industry for the bad acts of a few. Let's fix whatever problems there are in the Legislature where the issue belongs.

Leslie Cole-Brooks
Executive director, Hawaii Solar Energy Association