Multiple Streams in Hawaii: How the Aloha State Achieved a 100% Renewable Portfolio Standard

In the face of climate change, renewable portfolio standards (RPS) are an important means for national and subnational governments to take action to reduce carbon emissions and advance the global shift toward renewable energy. In June 2015, Hawaii became the first state in the US to adopt a 100% RPS. Hawaii’s RPS mandates that electric utility companies operating in the state derive 100% of their electric energy from renewable sources by 2045 and sets additional milestones. As the US federal government backs away from commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and decrease reliance on fossil fuels, subnational governments play an increasingly important role in mitigating climate change. Through understanding the conditions that gave rise to Hawaii’s RPS, policy actors will be better informed as they navigate policy processes in other states and jurisdictions. This study uses Kingdon’s Multiple Streams Framework (MSF) to explore the policy process that led to Hawaii’s 100% RPS, and tests three hypotheses. First, there will be positive indicators from each of the three streams (policy, politics, and problem) leading up to the enactment of Hawaii’s 100% RPS. Second, based on recent MSF literature distinguishing between agenda setting and decision-making, the strongest indicators will come from the policy stream. Third, there will be evidence of both a policy entrepreneur and a political entrepreneur. Data were collected during the summer of 2016 via face-to-face and phone interviews with 25 key policy actors and informants in Hawaii. Interviewees include elected officials, public utility commissioners, and representatives from government agencies, utility companies, other private companies, nonprofit organizations, and advocacy groups. Interviewees were selected using snowball and purposive sampling methodology to ensure that a representative sample was obtained. Interviews were semi-structured and guided by both the MSF and by a process tracing approach. Interviews are analyzed using constant comparison analysis. Hypotheses based on the MSF are confirmed. Furthermore, by combining process tracing with MSF analysis, this study suggests a potential means of understanding the relative importance of the three streams and how the circumstances giving rise to an RPS policy unfold over a period of many years.