HONOLULU -- An initiative that would make Hawaii "America's Model" of renewable energy will be part of a major announcement Monday, said state officials.
They said the goal of a new federal plan is to make the 50th state the first state in the nation to get most of its energy from renewable sources.

Hawaii is the most oil dependent state in America, but the ambitious goal of the federal initiative is to transform Hawaii into the least fossil fuel dependent state.

"These are very exciting times. I would say breathtaking times in Hawaii in the renewable energy area," said Ted Liu, the state business director.

He said Hawaii was selected for the federal attention and money because of its abundance of resources such as sun for solar energy, wind for wind powered energy, oceans for wave power and volcanoes for geothermal energy.

"We have all of the resources here. We haven't had to create it, import it, develop it, it is there," said Liu.

Gov. Linda Lingle hinted at the federal plan this week in her State of the State address.
"Our abundant natural source of energy position us to be a model for the world to show what can be accomplished by developing indigenous renewable energy," said Lingle.

Hawaii environmentalists are excited but also skeptical

"Our real main concern, with this as good as it is for Hawaii, is we hope it doesn't distract from the major task at hand next week which is the United States agreeing to mandatory cuts in carbon dioxide," said Jeff Mikulina, with the Sierra Club's Hawaii chapter.

The goal of the new plan, dubbed "Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative," is to get 70 percent of state power from renewable sources one generation.

The plan will be announced Monday before the opening of a White House summit Wednesday at the East-West Center.

A total of 16 countries -- including the United States -- will be here to discuss global warming concerns.