Senator Ige Has No New Solutions For Energy Costs

Instead Of Offering Solutions To Lower Costs, Ige Proposes Making Downtown Parking Cost $500

News Release from Hawaii Republican Party

HONOLULU (October 23, 2014) -- A new study shows gas prices in Hawaii are by far the nation's highest on average, and yet Senator David Ige's energy policies would only make a soaring cost of living in Hawaii worse. In fact, at a forum dedicated to lowering the cost of energy last week, Senator Ige actually proposed raising the cost of parking in Downtown Honolulu to $500 a month.

"It's ironic that at an event dedicated to reducing energy bills for Hawaii families and small businesses, Senator Ige unveiled his proposal to actually increase the cost of parking in Downtown Honolulu to $500 a month. With the highest energy costs in the country, Hawaii can't afford four more years of Senator Ige's policies that make life here even more expensive." --Hawaii Republican Party Communications Advisor Ted Kwong

BACKGROUND:

"Ige, a state senator, wants people to walk and bike more. Maybe a lane on King Street should be devoted to bikes, he said. He also said charging $500 a month to park downtown might convince some that other modes of transportation are far cheaper." (Chad Blair, "Hawaii Governor Candidates Offer Ideas to Bring Down Energy Costs," Honolulu Civil Beat, 10/14/14)

A New Study Shows Hawaii Gas Prices Are By Far The Highest, And With The Worst Rate Of Improvement In The County. "The price of gas has fallen fastest in Missouri, down 18% to $2.77 a gallon — which is also the cheapest gas in the nation. On the flipside is Hawaii, which suffers the most expensive gasoline at $4.07 a gallon, and has also seen the smallest decrease in price during that time, just 6%." (Christopher Helman, "In Which States Are Gasoline Prices Falling Fastest?" Forbes, 10/22/14)

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