One point the Maui County Council and state can agree on with regard to reducing Hawaii's dependence on oil is the need for urgent action.

While the council is voting on resolutions imploring national and state leadership to take swift steps to respond to the fuel crisis, the state, in part-

nership with the federal government and the private sector, has been actively working to address the need to secure Hawaii's energy independence. The irony is that many of the collaborative efforts are taking place in Maui County.

In 2006, Gov. Linda Lingle launched the "Energy For Tomorrow" initiative that encourages and supports market-based development of reliable, cost-effective and self-reliant energy for Hawaii. This included working with the Legislature to mandate a focus on clean-energy use and energy efficiency by state government, requiring necessary changes in the energy regulation sector, offering tax incentives for renewable energy and providing funding for renewable projects.

In January of this year, Gov. Lingle launched the "Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative," an unprecedented partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy that aims for at least 70 percent of Hawaii's power to come from renewable energy sources by 2030. Many of the developments prompted by the HCEI partnership are happening in Maui County.

In March, a new memorandum of understanding was signed with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, making First Wind's Kaheawa Wind Farm on Maui the location of NRELs first-ever remote research site outside of its base in Colorado.

The Department of Energy is also investing up to $7 million over three years for a project led by the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute of the University of Hawaii to increase the efficiency and reliability of Hawaii's electric grid system while allowing greater use of renewable energy sources. The three-year project is being deployed at the Maui Lani substation on Maui and will also receive $8 million in private funds from various team partners, including HECO, MECO and First Wind.

In another development, the nation's first-ever wave energy project is currently under way off the coast of Maui as part of an innovative partnership between Maui Electric Co. and Oceanlinx, an international company that focuses on wave-energy conversion. The Legislature passed and the governor signed a law this year authorizing the issuance of $20 million in special purpose revenue bonds for this project.

We are also working with the Department of Energy to develop new regulatory structures that would provide incentives to utilities and consumers to pursue clean-energy options. We are pleased that Maui County is participating in this important process. Last month, Maui County energy coordinator Victor Reyes and his counterpart from Kauai County joined Gov. Lingle, the Public Utilities Commission, the state consumer advocate, utilities industry representatives and the chairs of the House and Senate energy committees at a regulatory training workshop hosted by the Department of Energy in Colorado. Their visit focused solely on the united goal of transforming Hawaii with renewable, indigenous sources of energy.

The Department of Energy has also joined forces with Castle & Cooke and MECO to develop alternative energy options for Lanai with the ultimate goal of achieving 100 percent renewable electricity and transportation on the island. In addition, a new partnership announced last month between MECO, HR BioPetroleum and Alexander & Baldwin will jointly develop a commercial-scale microalgae facility on Maui to produce lipid oil for conversion to biodiesel.

In addition, the state Department of Transportation is moving forward with one of the largest government solar initiatives in the nation, installing solar arrays at 10 airports and transportation facilities statewide, including at Kahului and Molokai airports.

Hawaii was recently awarded a $50,000 grant from the National Governors Association to analyze the costs and benefits of electric vehicles as well as the infrastructure needed to support their large-scale use in Hawaii. Gov. Lingle has been in discussions with Better Place, a California-based organization, to establish an electric car network in Hawaii, that will include the development of charging stations and battery swapping networks.

These examples show the comprehensive approach that the Lingle-Aiona administration is taking to reduce energy prices for businesses and residents and to establish our state's clean-energy future through public-private partnerships involving the U.S. Department of Energy, Maui businesses, MECO, the Public Utilities Commission and the counties.

While the headway we are making in Maui County and statewide is significant, we will need all hands on board in order to reach the ambitious targets established by the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative. We look forward to having the Maui County Council join this collaborative effort as we work together to secure Hawaii's energy independence.

Barry Fukunaga is the chief of staff to Gov. Linda Lingle and former director of the state Department of Transportation.