New & Noteworthy: Kekaha Violations, Waikoloa Reversion
Kekaha Violations: A federal judge has found that the state Agribusiness Development Corporation has been violating the Clean Water Act for years, as the century-old drainage system it owns discharges millions of gallons a day into the Pacific Ocean along … Continued
In 2019, Invasive Species Measures Caught Attention of Legislature
Now that the deadline has passed for Gov. David Ige to issue his vetoes, it’s possible to give a final accounting of the environmental bills that made it through to acts in the 2019 legislative session. Three of the bills … Continued
Council Backs Off Threat Against NMFS Administrator
At its March meeting, the council threatened to complain to NOAA brass that Mike Tosatto, director of NMFS’ Pacific Islands Regional Office (PIRO), might not be the best man for the job if his office did not complete by the … Continued
Device Could Potentially Cut Gear From Turtles
One of the terms and conditions in the shallow-set fishery BiOp requires NMFS to conduct a workshop with fishermen, observers, relevant experts and NMFS’ Protected Resources Division staff to “determine whether there are more effective methods for removing more fishing … Continued
NMFS Heeds Council Recommendation On Turtle Take Limits for Swordfish Trips
Did it fall short, or go too far? The National Marine Fisheries Service’s recently completed biological opinion (BiOp) for the Hawai‘i swordfish longline fishery would allow individual vessels to hook more endangered loggerhead and leather back sea turtles in a … Continued
Auwahi Wind Farm Inches Closer To Permit Allowing Higher Bat Take
On July 25, the state Endangered Species Recovery Committee ap- proved an amended Habitat Conservation Plan for Auwahi Wind Energy, LLC’s 24-megawatt wind farm at Ulupalakua Ranch on Maui. If the plan also receives approval from the Board of Land … Continued
Are Petrels Breeding on O‘ahu?
Kawailoa Wind, LLC is near the end of a four-year effort to amend its Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) so that it allows the additional take of endangered Hawaiian hoary bats. In the course of that effort, it also became clear … Continued
Maui Study Finds Bat Core Ranges Are Larger Than Previously Thought
At the state Endangered Species Recovery Committee (ESRC) meeting last month, members debated the best way to mitigate the effects wind farms have on endangered Hawaiian hoary bats, which are being killed at a rate much higher than expected when … Continued
Wind Farm Barely Gets Preliminary OK To Kill 160 Additional Endangered Bats
“We’re not happy,” Lisa Spain told the room after casting the deciding vote to approve an amended Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) that would allow the state’s largest wind farm to kill 160 more endangered bats than the 60 it was … Continued