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Slow, short-staffed, easy to succumb to political pressures, lacking expertise in the energy sector – these are all criticisms that have been leveled against Hawaii’s Public Utilities Commission.

Neil Abercrombie during his campaign for governor said he was going to change this with the creation of the Independent Hawaii Energy Authority, a new government agency that would bolster the state’s transition to renewable energy.

Abercrombie called energy “Hawaii’s most important economic enterprise.”

The new energy authority would draw powers from the PUC and the state energy office into a single body. The argument was that the state energy office lacked sufficient power to implement public policy, and the PUC lacked the resources and expertise to act swiftly. PUC rulings that take 60 to 90 days to decide in other states, take two to three years in Hawaii, according to the governor’s campaign literature.

No such agency has materialized. Nor is there the funding to support this goal, according to PUC Chair Hermina Morita, who spoke during a panel discussion on Thursday sponsored by the Hawaii Venture Capital Association.

“I’ve heard discussion about moving the energy authority to an energy commission,” said Morita. “Either way, you can try fooling around with the structure of regulation, but unless there’s funding, it’s not going to make a difference.”

The PUC, which regulates hundreds of utility companies, including Hawaiian Electric Co., has struggled under heavy caseloads and increasing responsibilities as the state strives to switch to clean energy.

Wind turbines, solar panels and biodiesel plants increasingly dot Hawaii’s landscape, and with them has come a host of engineering, pricing and policy issues with which the PUC now has to grapple.

As the state agency, which has traditionally focused on setting utility rates for consumers, has taken on broader obligations, funding and support has not risen proportionally.

In 2007, the Legislature approved a plan, proposed by the PUC, to shore up its resources. Four years later, not much has changed. Nearly half of the PUC’s 62 funded staff positions remain vacant. And despite plans to relocate, the department remains in its cramped offices. The department can’t hire more staff because the current space can’t accommodate additional personnel without being in violation of federal occupational safety and health regulations, said Morita.

“It’s a very challenging situation when we can’t get relocation money or space, and then can’t fill staffing requirements,” she said.

Despite these constraints, positive change is underway at the PUC, according to panelists at the event entitled, “The New Public Utilities Commission – What to expect.”

While Abercrombie’s vision has yet to materialize, he’s ushered in highly regarded members of the energy sector to the PUC.

Morita chaired the House Energy and Environmental Protection Committee since 1999, and her nomination was seen as a triumph for the clean energy sector. With her, she brought Josh Strickler, a former energy expert at the state energy office, and Cat Awakuni, who is serving as the PUC’s chief counsel. In the past, Awakuni has worked at Hawaiian Electric and the PUC.

According to the panel, a key initiative includes developing long-term strategic plans for managing the state’s aggressive renewable energy goals and taking a more aggressive stance on energy policy.

“We can’t be reactive, we need to be more pro-active,” said Strickler.

Still, obstacles remain.

“I think the most important point I can make is both the consumer advocate and PUC need resources and need continuity,” said Morita. “The challenges we face will not be solved election cycle to election cycle.”