2009 News Summary

Interisland Cable Survey Report Completed The State of Hawai‘i has announced the completion of the Interisland Cable Project Ocean Floor Survey. The survey indicates that placement of undersea electrical transmission cables is physically possible between the islands of O‘ahu, Maui, Moloka‘i, and Lana‘i. The cable is an integral part of a proposed Interisland Wind project that would transmit up to 400 megawatts of renewable electricity generated from wind farms on Moloka‘i and Lana‘i to O‘ahu and potentially to Maui. E. Maui water decision deferred The state Commission on Water Resource Management decided not to make a decision in the contested case over 19 East Maui streams. The deferral until March was considered a win by Native Hawaiian groups. Sugar growers and farmers on the other side of the emotional water debate said they probably could live with compromises suggested by the independent panel. $312,500 in Grants Benefiting Environmental Protection and Education Mayor Charmaine Tavares announced that the County has executed grants totaling $312, 500 to Tri-Isle Resource Conservation and Development Council, Inc. and Maui Nui Botanical Gardens in a continued effort to support environmental protection and education. Read the Planning Director’s proposed Draft Maui Island Plan as presented to the Planning Committee. Download a PDF of the entire plan here. Planners streamline permit processes For the past year, at the direction of Mayor Charmaine Tavares, the county Department of Planning has quietly been working to streamline and update the county’s out-of-date code into a new era of “smart-growth” and “mixed-use” planning. Competing interests vie for East Maui water After a full day of testimony before the state Commission on Water Resource Management, the panel likely will make a decision today on how much water to restore to 19 East Maui streams. Late Wednesday evening, commissioners finished listening to public comments after seven hours of testimony and about a two-hour staff presentation at the Paia Community Center. Commission members planned to reconvene at 9:30 a.m. today and said they would render a decision, make amendments or send it back to staff members with proposed changes and conduct another meeting at a later date. No matter what is decided today, the complex and emotional issue has pitted HC&S and its supporters – even the Hawaii Democratic Party – against taro farmers, environmentalists and Native Hawaiians who also say they need the water to restore the host culture, aquatic life, flora and fauna. Read also – Attorney for taro farmers calls recommendations ‘ludicrous’ Humpback Whale Sanctuary Seeks Advisors NOAA’s Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary is seeking to fill eight primary seats and eight alternate seats on its advisory council. The council represents the public’s interests in sanctuary matters and provides advice to the sanctuary superintendent and state co-manager. Additionally, the HIHWNMS will be one of the first sanctuaries in the country to recruit a youth member seat to participate on the advisory council. Applications are due by Jan. 31, 2010. To receive an application kit or for further information, please contact council coordinator Joe Paulin via e-mail at Joseph.Paulin@noaa.gov, by phone at 808-397-2651, ext. 257, or visit the sanctuary website at: http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov. Remarkable Aloha – The teachings and legacy of Uncle Ed Lindsey “Ed Lindsey was a friend and hero to many, and a spirited warrior for the `aina. Though we will miss him in our daily musings, his journeys and work are now complete, and he is now among the ancestors we may call to bless our endeavors.” ‘A pledge to preserve open space on Maui’ About 11,300 acres on the leeward slopes of Haleakala on Maui will be dedicated to agricultural use, in a plan to preserve ranching and the rolling green hills at Ulupalakua. The agricultural easements awarded to Maui Coastal Land Trust consist of two parcels, one of 6,000 acres and a second of 5,328 acres, stretching from the ocean to the 6,000-foot elevation. County Seeking Eligible Project Proposals to Include in the Community Development Block Grant 2010 Annual Action Plan The County of Maui Community Development Block Grant Program announced that it expects to receive approximately $2 million for the CDBG program and is seeking eligible project proposals to include in its 2010 Annual Action Plan. USDA Rural Development program now accepting energy applications The Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP, is looking for projects to be awarded in 2010. Businesses and producers in rural Hawaii and the Western Pacific looking to create renewable energy, or make energy-saving improvements may be able to finance up to 75 percent of eligible project costs through the program. Stand-alone grants can be awarded up to 25 percent of total eligible costs. Cold ocean water to be turned into air conditioning Planning Committee completes review of Countywide Policy Plan 2030 Read a draft of the Central District Final Candidate Strategies Report – intended to serve as a broadly distributed document for review of the major strategies being considered for the Central District in the Maui County Water Use and Development Plan The Lingle administration, attempting to balance the state budget, has authorized the layoff of about 118 Department of Agriculture employees. This will mean that most imported produce will NOT be inspected on Maui, but in Honolulu before eventually being shipped by barge to Maui. The delay will cause higher costs and lower quality due to the spoilage of produce. This chaotic situation may even allow some produce and other goods to enter Hawai’i un-inspected. (Sign our online petition here or download and submit a PDF petition here). The improvement to our existing fine inspection regime was hard won over the past twenty years. It will be lost with this dismantling of the DOA wall of protection. The Ag inspectors who are targeted for lay-offs have intercepted the Brown Tree Snake on eight occasions, and the dangerous Red Imported Fire Ant on two occasions. The Lingle administration’s abandonment of this essential infrastructure leaves us vulnerable to a flood of invasive species that threaten our economy, health and way of life. There is an additional problem for the export farms and nurseries who may be denied certification of their exports, thus closing hundreds of small businesses with the loss of numerous jobs. Cutting Ag Inspectors will save only $5.9 Million annually, but the negative impacts will likely be measured in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The Dept. of Ag lay-offs are grossly dis-proportionately larger than other State departments. Read more – Agricultural inspector layoffs slammed and – Big Isle ag interests lobby at state Capitol to keep inspectors Maui can get most energy in renewable ways Maui residents can meet the goal of getting 95 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2020, but the community will need to tap into all potential renewable power sources to do so, according to a report by the Maui County Energy Alliance. That will mean finding ways of encouraging more conservation, more development of wind farms and more use of photovoltaic technology in the short term, and exploring how to develop geothermal energy in a way that is culturally sensitive in the long term, according to the report. It also encourages Maui County to look into harnessing hydroelectric power from its water systems, and developing biogas production and waste-to-energy systems in its sewage plants and landfills. Makena Resort investors default on loan Skittish lenders and real estate buyers apparently accomplished what hundreds of protesters couldn’t: halt the massive Makena Resort development in South Maui. At least for now. Everett Dowling, the Wailuku developer who spearheaded the project, said on Tuesday that he hopes to be back on board with new investors in six months. However, on Monday, Honolulu attorneys for the resort’s trustee, Wells Fargo Bank, filed a complaint in 2nd Circuit Court alleging that the partnership of Dowling Co. Inc. and Morgan Stanley Real Estate, together called Makena Land LLC, defaulted on the original $192.5 million loan to purchase the 1,800-acre Makena Resort. Walking downriver for justice and sustainability As with many other things in life, we tend to take water for granted. Yet water is amazing, and deserving of our great respect and stewardship. An upcoming march in support of restoring in-stream flows seeks to remind us of the importance of water not just to ourselves, but to all life. GMO Taro ban update The Committee on Agriculture, Economic Development and Recreation chaired by Councilmember Jo Anne Johnson passed the GMO Taro Ban bill (09-100) out of committee to the full council. Historic Stream Protection Effort needs your Kokua Efforts by Hui o Na Wai ‘Eha, Maui Tomorrow and Earthjustice to restore continuous mauka to makai stream flows to the four great waters of ‘Iao, Waiehu, Waihe‘e and Waikapu are moving forward through the state’s contested case hearing process. A Clean Energy Future For Maui and Hawaii Download a whitepaper (PDF file) written by Creative Conflict Solutions which documents the opinions of key stakeholders in Hawaii’s clean energy movement, including: solar, wind and geothermal contractors, a bio-fuel company owner, electric utility administrators, the Mayor of Maui County, leaders of non-profits invested in sustainable living and energy innovation, environmentalists and native Hawaiians. Through an in-depth interview process, each of these stakeholders spoke of their visions, their interests and their issues. Maui Island Plan documents Hawaii paying nearly twice market rate for solar power The state signed 20-year power purchase agreements with Hoku Scientific Inc. last fall. It failed to get a large number of competitive bids, which could have lowered the price. The state is paying 38 cents a kilowatt hour on Maui and Kaua’i for solar power. In Hilo the rate is 33 cents a kilowatt hour, and in Kona the rate is 32 cents a kilowatt hour. Hawaiian Electric Co.’s rates for medium and large customers on Maui this month vary from 16 cents to 21 cents a kilowatt hour Hydrogen power plant proposed for Molokai A New Mexico-based energy technology company has chosen Molokai for one of four sites on which it plans to build what it calls the world’s first utility-scale, zero-emissions hydrogen power plants. The Molokai plant, proposed by Jetstream Wind Inc., would use electricity from wind or solar or a combination of the two to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen would then be burned in a turbine – similar to what is used in a natural-gas-fired power plant – and would generate enough electricity to power 6,000 homes and businesses, the company said. State grant to help train for Maui green jobs A $100,000 state grant to provide training for green jobs will unite the forces of Maui Economic Opportunity Inc., which received the grant from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Maui Community College’s VITEC and the Sustainable Living Institute of Maui. They will develop two programs in small business and residential energy management, and in commercial building energy management. MEO Chief Executive Officer Sandy Baz noted that next year all residential construction will require solar water heating, which will require trained people to maintain. The partners are forming an advisory council of interested business leaders to ensure the curriculum will meet business needs. ACTION ALERT Help Stop the Hawai’i Swordfish Fishery Expansion Sea Turtles and Whales under Threat from Longline Hooks The Kaho’olawe Island Reserve Commission has announced the online availability of the Kaho’olawe Island Reserve Strategic Plan 2009-2013. “Our job is to restore the island and its waters and to increase the culturally appropriate, safe use of the Reserve toward the fulfillment of the vision for Kahoolawe,” said KIRC Executive Director Mike Näho’opi’i. “Our updated strategic plan for the Reserve, outlines the goals we must achieve in the next five years in order to fulfill that vision.” Presentation casts sunlight on island solar possibilities the Hawaii PV Coalition spent Saturday morning on Maui lobbying local politicians and media members to promote policies and laws that would make the use of widespread alternative energy – particularly solar – more reality than vision. First phase of solar photovoltaic array for Makena plant dedicated The first phase of a solar photovoltaic array that will make the Makena Resort’s wastewater treatment plant the state’s first net-zero energy reclamation plant was dedicated. Isle luxury projects in limbo over financing Keaka, Everett Dowling’s development company, was at the Maui Planning Commission to seek an amendment to permits for its Maluaka project to drastically downsize the project from 71 luxury condominiums to 13 lots plus recreational facilities. The commission favored it, also praising Dowling for seeking LEED “green” certification on his development. Demand for luxury housing is down, but it appears that lack of financing is an even greater impediment to developments and redevelopments along Maui’s golden shores. A&B property designated as important ag lands on Maui The state Land Use Commission has unanimously approved a request by Alexander & Baldwin to designate more than 27,000 acres on Maui as important agricultural lands. The designation includes lands currently being used for sugar cane cultivation and other farming activity in Central Maui and Makawao. But it does not include some areas where A&B has previously indicated an interest in development, including lands along the island’s north shore and in Maalaea and Haliimaile. County and state officials said they would have liked the designation to include the additional fields. County’s Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Averages 64 MPG The County-owned Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle achieved an average performance of 64 miles per gallon, according to the first monthly report from the U.S. Department of Energy. The report, which provides data for the North American PHEV Demonstration, also lists a high of 97mpg for city driving and a low of 40mpg for highway driving. Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) Accepting Applications NOW Only rural small businesses and farmers/ranchers are eligible. To qualify as a farmer/rancher, the entity, including corporate parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries, must derive at least 50% of total income from the farm operations. To qualify as a small business, the entity, including corporate parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries, must meet the definition based on the Small Business Administration guidelines.  (Download PDf file here) County Maps Showing Planned Development on Maui All projects filed at Planning Department Are GMOs Safe? Big on Bamboo The Drowning of Hawaii Government to repossess Hawaii Superferry boats built at Austal The U.S. Maritime Administration says that it plans to repossess and sell a pair of fast ferries built at Austal USA for Hawaii Superferry Inc. Hawaii Superferry owes $136.8 million to the agency — commonly known as MARAD — which guaranteed the loans used to buy the ferries. It has another $22.9 million outstanding on a pair of loans from Austal. MARAD reported this week that it plans to take possession of the ferries, now docked at Atlantic Marine in Mobile, as soon as it receives approval from bankruptcy court in Delaware. Hawaii Superferry Inc. filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in that state May 30. The ferry vessels were purchased in 2004 for a combined price of $190 million, according to Austal, which now puts their value at about $87 million each, or $174 million together. Hawaii enacts legislation on electric cars, alternative energy Hawai’i will become one of only a few states that require large parking lots to reserve spaces for electric cars and to provide recharging capacity if a bill passed by the Legislature is signed into law.The measure would take Hawai’i one step closer to developing a viable electric-vehicle market, supporters say. Wind farm’s draft EIS open for public comment The wind farm that Maui Tomorrow and others worked hard to get online has now decided to expand. Can algae save the world again? The microscopic green plants cleaned up the earth’s atmosphere millions of years ago and scientists hope they can do it now by helping remove greenhouse gases and create new oil reserves. Wind, Waves, and Watts Grays Harbor Ocean Energy Company up in Washington state is proposing offshore wind farms for the NewEngland coast. One item of interest for island residents is that the supports anchoring each wind turbine platform to the ocean floor would be designed in a way to turn wave action into electricity as well. Shoreline protection in Hawai‘i is based on Chapter 205A of the Hawaii Revised Statutes. A proposed bill (SB1318) before of the State Senate will repeal 205A if it becomes law. In addition to eliminating all current protection of our shorelines, it will eliminate the State Office of Planning. Anyone who feels strongly that current and future efforts to research, manage and protect our diminishing shoreline resources should continue, may want to offer comment on Senate Bill 1318 to their legislators. A copy of SB1318 is available at www.capitol.hawaii.gov Makena Development Your Voice is needed! Wailea 670 is doing a Environmental Impact Statement The first step is an “EIS Preparation Notice” (EISPN) that the public can comment on. Deadline for comments is April 7. If you had concerns during the hearing process, please ask to be a consulted party. Navy May Lease Both Superferry Ships The Navy will also lease four joint high speed vessels next year, instead of two, until DoD takes delivery of its own ships in 2011, Gates said. The Navy leases high-speed catamarans, such as the Swift, now on a humanitarian deployment in the Caribbean, but has ordered its own purpose-built JHSVs from the Austal shipyard in Mobile, Ala. Conspiracy Ferry Hawai‘i’s Superferry ended its choppy ride last week, leaving tantalizing clues, but no proof, that the whole venture was about more than providing “reliable commercial service in these islands, as CEO Thomas B. Fargo insisted at his dawn press conference. “You look at the players involved, you have to question their motives, there are some pretty significant defense contracts involved, said Rep. Hermina Morita, who chairs the House Energy and Environmental Protection Committee. Secretary Gates Adds Possible Superferry Vessel Lease to DOD Line up Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ recommendation Monday that the Navy buy three, not two, littoral combat ships in fiscal 2010 is good news for a program that at least initially struggled with cost overruns. Gates also said Monday he wants to charter two additional Joint High Speed Vessels, which are used for transporting troops and equipment. Hanabusa and Hemmings Team Up to Gut Environmental Law The plan would eliminate secondary impact considerations during an environmental review process. A proposal to build wind and wave energy platforms within a Hawai‘i whale sanctuary Grays Harbor Ocean Energy Co. wants to build up to 100 raised platforms at Penguin Bank in the channel between O’ahu and Moloka’i. The area is used by humpback whales, Hawaiian monk seals and for commercial and recreational fishing. “Great project, wrong location,” said Irene Bowie, executive director of Maui Tomorrow. “It’s going to be a big, big problem,” said Moloka’i resident Halona Kaopuiki, whose family has fished the area for four generations. “We’re really against this.” Superferry Progress Report After more than a full year of operation, it’s time to give the albatross of inter-island travel known as the Hawaii Superferry a progress report. Has the high-speed ferry service given indications it can be profitable in the long term? Has there been justification for Gov. Linda Lingle leading the charge, with state legislators close behind, to rewrite the state’s environmental laws to allow Superferry to operate? Has the entire state been taken for a choppy, 40 knots per hour, $45 million ride? And is this the biggest boondoggle in state history? New state program pays farmers to restore unused farmlands The state of Hawaii has started a new program that will pay ranchers and farmers to plant native species on land they aren’t using for crops. The $67 million program is expected to restore habitat for endangered species, reduce soil erosion and prevent fertilizers from draining into streams that flow into the ocean. What’s the real reason that the Hawaii Superferry is leaving? Is HSF happy to leave its failing ferry business and get a lucrative DoD contract? Musings on a Supreme Court Slap Down In a 113-page opinion, the Justices ruled that Act 2 was actually written to benefit just one company — Hawaii Superferry — despite language in the law that referred to a “large capacity ferry vessel.” Hawaii Superferry Hawaii Court Backs Protestors vs. Superferry (But the Saga Continues) This recent article in The Nation offers a summary of the Hawaii Superferry reaction to a Supreme Court ruling that the company has no legal authority to continue its operations. Draft Environmental Impact Statement Comments The examination of alternatives is incomplete… Since the ferry’s inception, how often have the ferry’s services been cancelled due to high seas and maintenance? What are the maximum wave conditions that the vessel can operate under? County Council Backs GMO Home Rule Council Member Sol Kaho’ohalahala introduced a resolution at the regular council meeting in opposition to a bill from the state House of Representatives. The House bill, which has now passed to the state Senate for review, would preempt any county’s ability to ban or restrict the testing, growth and sale of genetically modified plant organisms (GMOs). State set to review Pu’unani proposal Developers of Pu’unani will need district changes approved by the state Land Use Commission and new zoning from the Maui County Planning Commission and County Council before the 208-acre project gets under way.The new subdivision would build 754 units in Wailuku, south of the corner of Honoapiilani Highway and Kuikahi Drive. Public comment deadline on Superferry EIS nears Brad Parsons says, “OK, time to get going on this, commenting on the Act 2 P-EIS (Pseudo-EIS). Have been waiting for the Supreme Court to do the right thing, and hopefully they will. For now though, we gotta get going.” Wind Wave Platforms Protecting Molokai’s Sea ‘Molokai’s Fisheries Bill’ was introduced in the House by Mele Carroll and in the Senate by Kalani English. It has passed the first reading in both and will be headed for hearings if all goes well. As of this writing, 14 different Senators have signed on to the introduction of the bill. Council reviews Residential Workforce Housing Act The Public Services Committee began its required review of the legislation crafted to increase affordable housing on Maui. Amendments may be proposed by committee members that will require approval before the full Council. Residential Workforce Housing Act review begins The Public Services Committee will begin this week reviewing 30 pages of detailed administrative rules that expand on the Residential Workforce Housing Act. The two-year old legislation was created to require new subdivisions to provide 40 percent to 50 percent of homes at a price affordable for local residents. Wind, Waves, and Watts Grays Harbor Ocean Energy Company is proposing offshore wind farms for the New England coast. Of interest to island residents is that the supports anchoring each wind turbine platform to the ocean floor would be designed in a way to turn wave action into electricity as well. Watchdog Millionaire Volunteer groups working on conservation, preservation, restoration, planning and sustainability efforts on Maui and throughout Hawaii have many successes to show for their work. Yet much more slips through their fingers each year, due to insufficient staff and funding and the enormity of the challenges they face. Draft Act 2 Impact Statement State panel reclassifies Kihei land from ag to urban Although Maui County officials opposed the idea, the state Land Use Commission voted 8-1 to approve a district boundary amendment from agricultural to urban that may lead to a $150 million, 600-unit housing development in Kihei. County Planners seek limited water use by projects In a dramatic departure from past practice, the Maui Planning Department wants a developer to agree to limit water usage in a project. That, at least, was the ideal of planner Paul Fasi. As it played out over the past few months, it looks as if he persuaded A&B Wailea LLC to agree to a three-year monitoring program, after redesigning the landscaping at its Wailea MF-10 project to reduce projected irrigation use. EU Parliament Votes to Ban Farm Use of Pesticides The European parliament today voted by a sweeping majority to tighten the use of pesticides in agriculture and to ban 22 treatments. What could be more tied to economy than protecting our water supply? In Hawaiian, the word for water is wai. The word for wealth is waiwai. When it comes to infrastructure, one of the obviously very important issues on Maui is water supply. Don’t Inject, REdirect A newly created coalition, DIRE (Don’t Inject, Redirect) is working to improve the ability of the Lahaina wastewater facility to bring the majority of its effluent up to a level that meets health and safety standards for reuse. Fruit from backyards of Maui picked for the Food Bank A new Maui organization is bringing together community volunteers to help feed the island’s hungry by harvesting the unwanted yield of backyard fruit trees. Sierra Club Outings – Explore the back trails of Maui by foot and become a certified hike leader Hike with the Kipahulu ‘Ohana – East Maui nonprofit offers an authentic Hawaiian experience at “the last Hawaiian place” PSA on YouTube for More Fish in the Sea Festival 30-second video for the More Fish in the Sea festival, Saturday April 4th, 2 – 10 pm at Maui Community College, Great Lawn & Pilina Building. For more information visit morefishhawaii.com Panel to review housing ordinance