 Wailuku Water asks to become a public utility
Move would allow it to maintain control over West Maui waters
Wailuku Water Distribution Co. is seeking permission from the state to organize as a public utility in order to continue service, set new water rates and keep its contracts. Essentially, being a utility would allow Wailuku Water to stay in the water business as it faces an ongoing dispute over water rights with farmers, environmentalists and Native Hawaiians.
Energy and development bills pass – good news and bad news from the Sierra Club Hawai‘i chapter
The good news: the bill to require that all new homes have solar water heaters passed unanimously in the House and with only two dissenting votes in the Senate. Now the bad news: The farmland sprawl bill, SB 2646, narrowly passed last Thursday. The measure could open up hundreds of thousands of acres of agricultural lands statewide for sprawling development.
Wailea 670 update – Preliminary injunction granted by Judge Cardoza
Attorney Lance Collins represented five individuals who questioned whether the County Council acted properly in holding a long succession of recessed meetings, allowing the developer to make comments and participate, but not allowing the general public to testify again. On Wednesday morning, April 23, Judge Cardoza agreed and issued a preliminary injunction halting further action on Wailea 670.
- Project Ka‘eo – The Challenge to Preserve Cultural Landscapes in Modern Makena
The need to create a bridge between Maui’s past and future is one of the challenges facing a rapidly developing island. It is also the unspoken subject of an extensive study researched and written by Lucienne de Naie.
Read the brief summary – download it here (160K PDF file)
Download and read a full copy of Project Ka‘eo here (42MB PDF file)
$842 million upgrade to Hawaii harbors approved
The state Aloha Tower Development Corp. has been tapped to make $842 million in improvements to Hawai'i's commercial harbors over six years for the Department of Transportation. Lawmakers passed a bill essentially making the ATDC the development arm of the Transportation Department's Harbors Division. The DOT calls the bill "landmark legislation" that was badly needed because the agency is consumed with managing harbors and lacks resources to upgrade aging and cramped harbor facilities on such a large scale.
Download and read the draft of the Maui Island Plan that will be reviewed by the Maui General Plan Advisory Committee for the next six months. Meetings will be held in different Maui Island districts.
'Crying' for Water – Anger resurfaces in hearing on East Maui stream flows
During an often highly emotional public meeting on a petition seeking the return of water to five perennial streams in East Maui, Native Hawaiian taro farmers made it clear that they need more water to grow their staple crop. The meeting was in response to a petition filed on behalf of local taro farmers seven years ago by the Native Hawaiian Legal Corp. The petitioners said they actually want to see 27 streams restored. Because most of the streams have been diverted by East Maui Irrigation Co. mauka of Hana Highway, the natural water channels have been left as empty gulches that fill only during downpours.
(Read a brief report here by Alan Murakami of the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation as his offers his perspective on the meeting)
Victorino proposes resolution seeking fairness for TVR operators
Operators of transient vacation rentals who have been "caught in legal limbo" because of the County's confusing and contradictory enforcement policies shouldn't be punished, Maui County Councilmember Michael Victorino said today. Victorino has proposed a resolution calling on the County Administration to suspend enforcement actions against TVR operators until the Council has had a chance to review and enact legislation currently pending before the Council's Planning Committee. The Committee isn't expected to review the bills submitted by the Department of Planning and the planning commissions until June.
Positive Energy – A legislative look at renewable energy bills
A little more than two months ago, the 2008 Hawai'i legislative session began with great fanfare about the importance of local renewable energy sources. House Speaker Calvin Say and others brought attention to our state's over-dependence on imported fuels, and the opportunities to bolster our economy by keeping our energy dollars in the state with renewable energy incentives. Now it's crunch time at the legislature, and particularly for some important energy initiatives.
Audit: Superferry drove state actions
Lingle administration criticized for bypassing environmental review
The state may have compromised its environmental policy because of pressure from Hawaii Superferry executives who were worried about financing for the interisland ferry project, the state auditor has concluded. The auditor found that an internal June 2005 deadline imposed by Superferry executives "drove the process" and pushed the state Department of Transportation to bypass an environmental review. The deadline, according to the auditor, was tied to Superferry's agreement with Austal USA to secure financing to pay the Mobile, Ala.-based shipbuilder to construct two high-speed ferries. Maritime Administration officials told the auditor they did not set the June 2005 deadline as a condition of the loan guarantee.
Maui Becomes Power Player
U.S. Department of Energy selects Maui as site of demonstration project aiming to reduce energy demands and integrate renewable energy sources into the island's power grid.
On Monday, April 21, Gov. Linda Lingle and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Assistant Secretary for Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability Kevin Kolevar announced that the State of Hawai'i will take part in an innovative $15 million project aiming to reduce peak electricity demand by at least 15 percent. Hawai'i is one of nine states selected by the DOE to participate in a five-year, $50 million project designed to modernize the country's electrical grid system.
State to control Maui streams
Final testimony delivered in contested case hearing over Na Wai 'Eha streams
A state commission has decided to take over management of four major streams in central Maui. The decision marks the first time that the Commission on Water Resource Management has voted to designate a surface water management area. Read four stories to get the full picture of the consequences of this court case.
Clearing the Air: Wind Power and Reliability
Wind power is currently supplying 48 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity annually in the U.S., powering the equivalent of over 4.5 million homes. Wind power is an important part of electric utility generation portfolios. Yet some question whether wind power, being a variable resource (meaning it generates electricity when the wind is blowing, not on demand) can be relied upon as part of a system that provides reliable electricity to consumers without interruption. Based on a growing body of analytical and operational experience, the answer is a resounding "yes."
PUC increases limits for renewable energy
The move is expected to increase the excess energy fed back into the grid by customers. Residents and businesses with electrical generators powered by renewable sources, such as solar or wind energy, will be allowed to generate more power under a recent ruling by the Public Utilities Commission. The ruling doubles the limit on net energy metering generators to 100 kilowatts for customers on Oahu, Maui and the Big Island. Current limits of 50 kilowatts remain for Kauai.
Support GMO-Free Taro legislation
Ocean of energy – Three wave turbines are planned for Maui waters
Waves near the surfing area known as Jaws, just off Pauwela Point on Maui's northern coast, would be used to generate enough electricity to power about 1,600 homes on the Valley Isle. The plan was announced yesterday by state officials and executives from Oceanlinx, an Australian renewable energy company. The company now is performing preliminary site work, such as environmental assessments, and expects to have the generators in place by 2009.
Honokawai Valley Restoration Project
Come to Honokowai Valley every third Saturday from 9 am to about 3 pm. Ed Lindsey will host a group of volunteers to restore Honokowai Valley. Volunteers will uproot invasive plant species in Honokowai Valley, and may also plant indigenous plants.
The Drowning of Hawaii
Warmer waters. Melting ice caps. Disappearing glaciers. They are all expected to raise ocean levels by 39 inches in the next century, forever reshaping Hawaii. That's using the projection of one meter, or 39 inches, of sea level rise, a figure many scientists and planners who have reviewed global climate change predictions say is likely for Hawaii.
India's Tata backs air-power car
An engineer has promised that within a year he will start selling a car in India that runs on compressed air, producing no emissions at all in towns. The project is being backed by the Indian conglomerate, Tata for an undisclosed sum. It says the technology may also be used for power generation. The car will be driven by compressed air stored in carbon-fibre tanks. The tanks, built into the chassis, can be filled with air from a compressor in just three minutes - much quicker than a battery car. Alternatively, it can be plugged into the mains for four hours and an on-board compressor will do the job.
Makena: keeping our promises
Over thirty-five years ago a bold, visionary plan was launched to secure Maui's economic future. Begun in 1968, the federally funded Kihei Civic Plan set out to transform the dry, dusty, sparsely populated shoreline of South Maui. It envisioned a model community for residents and a world-class resort destination for visitors. Nearly one-third of South Maui's 1,200 residents (1970 pop.) gave input on the Civic Plan.
Tree holds promise for future of biofuel
Unused land on the Waianae Coast and other areas of the state could one day be green with plants grown for fuel to reduce Hawaii's dependence on imported oil. That's the hope of researchers who are trying to determine if biofuel crops have the potential to re-engergize Hawaii's agriculture industry. The University of Hawaii and the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center are growing test plots of jatropha, a plant that is already being used to make biodiesel in India. But what's yet to be determined is whether the crops will be profitable for farmers.
The efforts to preserve Honolua Bay and Lipoa Point
Read three articles on efforts by local citizens and elected officials to preserve Honolua Bay and Lipoa Point from luxury home development.
Hawaii wants study on cruise industry impact
Two state agencies are looking to hire a consultant to conduct a comprehensive study of the impact of the cruise industry on Hawai'i. The Hawai'i Tourism Authority and the Department of Transportation will pay for the study, working in collaboration with the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, and the Department of Land and Natural Resources.
Kahului Harbor Master Plan 2030
The Harbors Division is undertaking the Kahului Commercial Harbor 2030 Master Plan concurrent with its Environmental Impact Statement. These concurrent efforts will enable the master plan task force's consideration of any potential environmental impacts while planning Kahului Commercial Harbor's 2030 improvements.
Statewide Transportation Improvement Program
The STIP is a four-year programming implementation document that identifies State and County transportation projects, statewide, to be funded, in part, with Federal Highway and Transit funds.
Status of Maui's Coral Reefs by the Coral Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program
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