This Secretive Task Force Is Guiding Energy Policy Behind Closed Doors … Gov. David Ige’s Powering Past Coal Task Force has a broad mandate to look at statewide energy projects as Hawaii winds down a major coal plant.
When AES Hawaii floated the idea of using wood chips instead of coal to power its Barber’s Point coal plant least month, the company mentioned it was doing so after being approached by Scott Glenn, director of the Hawaii State Energy Office.
But in its letter to regulators, AES cited not only Glenn’s role running the energy office, but also another title Glenn has: chairman of an influential entity called the Powering Past Coal Task Force, a group created by Gov. David Ige to solve one of Oahu’s critical energy issues.
The task force’s meetings are closed to the media and general public; it’s operating outside of open government laws yet it includes some of Hawaii’s most powerful elected officials, along with private and nonprofit parties on multiple sides of renewable energy issues.
