In February 1989, the Department of Business and Economic Development signed a one-year, no-bid contract with Cassidy and Associates, one of the largest Washington lobbying firms. The contract was renewed for another 12-month period last year. All totaled, Cassidy and … Continued
The documents on which the reporting in this issue of Environment Hawai`i is based are part of the public record. Nonetheless, it is improbable that Environment Hawai`i on its own would have been able to obtain and review the far-ranging … Continued
What is the official policy of the state of Hawai`i on the development of geothermal energy? On June 25, 1990, Governor John Waihe`e, after half a year of hints and intimations that he was rethinking his position on geothermal energy … Continued
Environmental Lobbying: Short on Pay, Long on Rewards So you want to get involved? There’s no better time than the present, and no better place than the Capitol. In this issue we preview only a small fraction of the several … Continued
What can be done in Hawai`i to reduce consumption of fossil fuels? One of the first answers is to increase the sales tax paid at the pump. Several measures before the Legislature would do just this. The logic is sound: … Continued
To allow investors a profit, geothermal energy would almost certainly have to be priced above what users pay for electricity from oil- or coal-fired plants. But the public won’t suffer merely by having to pay more for energy; it will … Continued
Over the last two decades millions of public dollars have been spent to spur geothermal energy in Hawai`i. The Department of Business and Economic Development last year summarized expenditures in a report to the state House of Representatives’ Committee on … Continued
When the lobbyists of Cassidy and Associates go to bat for a client, at their disposal is a tight web of alliances, friendships and favors that stretches to the remotest corner of the Hill. The firm has about 30 associates. … Continued