Before launching into this week’s column, I’d like to first recognize the revolutionary steps forward we took in the past two weeks: The Hokule‘a arrived in New York; the United States is about to have its first female presidential nominee from a major political party; and the world celebrated the life of a legendary athlete who broke down barriers beyond his sport.

And one last one, for good measure: Hawaii is on the nation’s radar for energy innovation. The Energy Excelerator was featured in a recent White House blog post, and the administration sent the deputy secretary of energy to visit the startup. A terribly good two weeks, in my opinion.

Another highlight, for me, was talking story with Hermina Morita. She was the first chairwoman of the Public Utilities Commission and represented Hanalei, Princeville and Kapaa for 15 years in the state House of Representatives. If you’ve ever had a conversation with her, you know she speaks with a calm passion. She said, “All the opportunities in my life, I sort of fell into it. They were never planned.”

Growing small

“When I was growing up there (on Lanai), it was a really special time and under really special circumstances,” Morita said. “It was still a plantation town at the time, but Father was one of the few people on Lanai that didn’t work for Dole Company. I had four sisters and three brothers. … Growing up in a small town, you don’t want to bring shame to your family, so you always try to do your best. Knowing that family is important shaped by worldview.”

Never again

“In 1990 I ran for the Kauai County Council not knowing anything about politics. I lost by 300 votes. I told myself at the time that I’m never going to do this again. I hated campaigning,” she continued.

“Then in 1996, for the state House, there was a bunch of us that was unsatisfied with the incumbent. We spent a long time recruiting a candidate to run against the incumbent. And at the last minute he bowed out. The deadline was approaching, and I thought to myself, ‘We cannot just let this guy walk in unopposed.’ And since no one else would do it, I filed. I won by 75 votes, and that’s how I started my career at the Legislature.”

Painfully beautiful

“The opportunity (to be a PUC commissioner) came up at the end of 2010. I never thought of myself in that role. I didn’t think I had the right qualifications; I’m neither an attorney nor an engineer. But knowing how important the PUC was to the process, I jumped into the fire not knowing what I was getting into,” she said. “And it was really rewarding. When my reappointment was up and that became somewhat controversial, I was just sad to see politics take over. And that’s the frustrating part right now; there is just too much political interference in a time when we need certainty.”

Innovative policy

“In my first year as committee chair of the Energy and Environment Committee, the only major bill that I felt moved through was adding a cultural aspect into the EIS (environmental impact statement) process,” she said. “It was a down economy year, so a lot of environmental programs were being cut back. I wasn’t very successful in trying to get or maintain the budget of those kinds of programs, so I felt ineffective. We couldn’t fund these programs without a robust economy, and a big part of the economy is vulnerable to energy pricing. When I started researching energy issues, one of the policies that intrigued me was a renewable portfolio standard (RPS). I started looking more into how to set market standards for renewables. And so, the objective was to start a market for renewables, and the featured policy was renewable portfolio standard and net energy metering.”

Minor miracle

“I remember when we passed the net metering bill and RPS, Maurice Kaya (former administrator of the State Energy Office from 1988 to 2008) walked in my office and let out a ‘Yeah!’” Morita recalled with a laugh.

“It was a matter of working hand in hand with the State Energy Office. They would help with technical aspects, how to draft the bills and what were appropriate goals to set forth. I saw it as my job at the Legislature to educate other legislators and move policy forward. It was a matter of changing mindsets. I look back now and, to me, it was still a miracle that we got the net metering and RPS bill to pass.”

Incremental strides

“I remember I sat next to a journalist — he was also a political commentator — on the plane. I was venting to him about how the net metering and RPS bills had gotten watered down and was told in the negotiation process by members of the Legislature to take it or leave,” she said. “It was such a watered-down version, but I took it. He gave me a book that he wrote, and he inscribed it to me saying, ‘Half a sandwich is better than none.’ That taught me a lot about moving in incremental steps and building upon what you have.”

Lauren Tonokawa is head of the communications team at the Energy Excelerator. She’s a graduate of the University of Hawaii. Reach her at laurentonokawa@gmail.com.