Energy Office PR Contract: Although the state’s Energy Office, within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, has a dedicated public information office, it apparently needs to have a public relations firm on call as well. The department has … Continued
On March 10, contrary to a request from the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation (NHLC) for immediate action on its petitions to amend the interim instream flow standards (IIFS) of about two dozen East Maui streams, Commission on Water Resource Management … Continued
In 1991, the state Land Use Commission approved a boundary amendment petition that set the stage for development of luxury resorts on Lana`i. One of the conditions – Condition 10 – that it attached to the approval stated that the … Continued
April 2016
Following Gov. David Ige’s state of the state address, in which he proposed us- ing nearly two-thirds of the Green Energy Market Securitization funds to air condition 1,000 public-school classrooms, both cham- bers of the Legislature heard companion bills that … Continued
The roll-out of the Green Energy Market Securitization program (GEMS) has had results that can charitably be described as disappointing. Of the $145 million available for loans intended to help Hawai`i homeowners and renters avail themselves of advances in energy-saving … Continued
Kathryn Matayoshi, state superintendent of education, had little to say about the proposal to loan the Department of Education $100 million from the Green Energy Market Securitization (GEMS) fund when the House Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection heard the … Continued
Rep. Cynthia Thielen of Kailua was frank: “I think that GEMS has not been run well. A million dollars to place out three loans is pretty pathetic. I mean, that may rank at the top of the pathetic list of … Continued
Sparks Fly Over Fireworks Permit, $2,500 Deposit to Clean Up Debris For years, right-of-entry permits brought by the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Land Division for fireworks displays at state beaches have garnered little, if any, opposition. Last year, a … Continued
According to court documents, the appeal of Judge Nishimura’s January 8 ruling is expected to cover the following issues, among others: Whether she correctly ruled that the permits were invalid under Hawai`i Revised Statues Chapter 171 (the state’s law governing … Continued