Findings and purpose

The legislature finds that adequate supplies of petroleum products are essential to the health, welfare, and safety of the people of Hawaii, and that any severe disruption in petroleum product supplies for use within the State would cause grave hardship, pose a threat to the economic well-being of the people of the State, and have significant adverse effects upon public confidence and order and effective conservation of petroleum products. The purpose of this chapter is to grant to the governor or the governor's authorized representative the clear authority, when shortages of petroleum products occur or are anticipated, to control the distribution and sale of petroleum products in this State, to procure such products, and to impose rules that will provide extraordinary measures for the conservation of petroleum products and for their distribution and sale in an orderly, efficient, and safe manner.