In the opinion of hearing officer Lawrence Miike, no one got it right. The Maui Department of Water Supply’s proposal to amend the interim instream flow standards (IIFS) of four West Maui streams – known collectively as Na Wai `Eha … 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
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
You could tell it was a big deal by the throng that had gathered October 15 at the `Iao Congregational Church to hear final arguments in the Na Wai `Eha contested case hearing. People filled the dozen or so rows … Continued
“The count as it stands is zero for four,” said Isaac Moriwake, an attorney with the environmental law firm of Earthjustice. Moriwake made the comment in reference to the track record racked up by the state Commission on Water Resource … Continued
The state Commission on Water Resource Management would seem to have a hard time getting things right. Twice the Supreme Court has remanded back to the commission its decisions on the Waiahole ditch contested case, and a third appeal in … Continued
“Here it is May 2008 with an order that requires completion in a couple of weeks from now, and this is the first time we’re hearing of this…..All of a sudden, it’s 2008 and it’s, ‘Oh, sorry, we can’t do … Continued
To the Editor: I was disappointed in your analysis in the February 2008 edition of Environment Hawai`i (“Reversals at Supreme Court Raise Question: Is Water Commission on the Right Track?”), about how the commission “doesn’t get it.” I expect more … Continued
No Greenbacks for Greenhouse Panel: Lately, Governor Lingle has stressed the importance of Hawai`i turning to “clean energy” and reducing its reliance on fossil fuels. In remarks to the international climate change summit in Honolulu last month, for example, she … Continued
“We’re bringing coals to Newcastle.” That’s how Don Thomas, a geochemist with the University of Hawai`i’s Department of Geology and Geophysics, described recent findings in a presentation to the state Commission on Water Resource Management last March. Thomas’ Hawai`i Scientific … Continued