When it comes to the free flow of information, the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Wespac) has locked itself into the proverbial smoke-filled back room. While other regional councils are taking steps to make their actions more transparent, the Honolulu-based … Continued
Of the many complaints about actions taken by Kitty Simonds, executive director of the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, one of the most frequent and serious concerns the council’s apparent involvement (directly or through contractors) in lobbying at the state … Continued
Efforts by the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council to incite Native Hawaiians to rise up in protest against nearshore fishery regulations go back several years. The first public manifestation of this campaign occurred in August 2006, when a puwalu, or … Continued
The greatest financial support for the third puwalu, held in Honolulu on December 19-20, 2006, came not from the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council or the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Rather, it came from the state Coastal Zone Management program, … Continued
The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council’s vote to make certain records available to the public only through Freedom of Information Act requests and others available not at all came exactly one week after U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder issued instructions … Continued
What’s to be done when the state doesn’t follow its own rules? And not just the state, but county agencies and the majority of other holders of water use permits? The question arises in the course of reading the recent … Continued
The temptation to dismiss reporting violations as mere technical infractions is often strong, especially among the violators. But one of the best explanations of the importance of reporting water use information is found on the website of the Commission on … Continued
The state Land Use Commission does not seem to be in any rush to force Kuilima Resort Company to show why 236 acres of Urban land on the North Shore of O`ahu should not revert to the Agricultural District. Last … Continued
“To some extent, we’ve been had,” said the chairman of the state Land Use Commission, commenting on the painfully slow progress by landowners to move forward with a development proposed in the area of Puako, on the Kohala Coast of … Continued
A draft agreement between the Hawai`i County Office of Housing and Community Development and Bridge `Aina Le`a calls for Bridge to receive up to two credits for each unit of affordable housing it builds. Under the county Affordable Housing Code, … Continued