In addition to the contested case hearing over the Thirty Meter Telescope, this past summer saw another hearing, over another telescope – this one proposed for Haleakala. As with the TMT case, the contested case hearing over the Advanced Technology … Continued
Cabin, R.J. Intelligent Tinkering – Bridging the Gap between Science and Practice. Island Press, 2011. 216 pages. Paperback $35.00 In his new book, Bob Cabin uses his personal involvement in the restoration of Hawai`i dry forests to illustrate the tensions … Continued
East Maui Stream Update: The Hawai`i Supreme Court has effectively overturned the decision of the Intermediate Court of Appeals regarding the efforts of Na Moku `Aupuni o Ko`olau Hui to have judicial review of the decision of the state Commission … Continued
The long wait has ended. Researchers have now verified what many people had suspected for years: wastewater from the Lahaina sewage treatment plant, on Maui’s Ka`anapali Coast, is reaching coastal waters. Starting in late July, scientists with the University of … Continued
Whatever the outcome, someone is going to end up heartbroken, pissed off, or both. Since mid-November, the luxury catamaran Queen’s Treasure has been taking passengers on snorkel and whale-watch tours off West Maui’s Ka`anapali Beach under a temporary agreement with … Continued
“Waterfalling Estate.” That is the name that Scott Watson has given to a house he has built at Ninole, on the Hamakua Coast of the Big Island about 20 miles north of Hilo. Like most other houses with names, it … Continued
Ensuring public shoreline access has never been an easy task in Hawai`i. Almost always, it involves the state or county government acquiring easements across private property as a condition of development. Take the case of a subdivision in Pepe`ekeo, a … Continued
The end may be near for a decade-old case involving the largest fine ever levied by the state Board of Land and Natural Resources. After five years in stasis, the Intermediate Court of Appeals finally heard oral arguments on October … Continued
`Aina Le`a Update: The slow pace of development at the Big Island project known as the Villages of `Aina Le`a seems to be matched these days only by the slow progress of challenges to it in court. The state has … Continued
Scott Watson may be a “serial violator,” to use the description of him offered by an employee of the Hawai`i County Planning Department. But as serious and numerous as his infractions may be, the real villain in the sad stories … Continued