Kaua‘i Council Moves to Remove Some Exemptions From Shoreline Ordinance On October 18, the Kaua‘i County Council accepted the introduction of a draft bill aimed at reversing amendments made in 2014 to its shoreline setback ordinance that have turned out … Continued
In September, when the Hawai‘i Supreme Court ruled that commercial aquarium fish collection permits issued by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources require an environmental review, many thought an injunction closing the fishery would soon follow. The high … Continued
Progress on the ‘Aina Le‘a Front: In September, the planning firm of Belt Collins delivered to the Hawai‘i County Planning Department a draft supplemental environmental impact statement preparation notice for the roughly 1,000 acres of Urban land owned by ‘Aina … Continued
The Hawai“i Supreme Court recently delivered a ruling that affirms the right of the counties to enforce regulation of coastal development against claims that regulation amounts to an unconstitutional taking. The case, Douglas Leone v. County of Maui, stems from … Continued
Stewards of the famed seaweed resources off ‘Ewa Beach suffered a major blow earlier this year. On September 29, 1st Circuit Judge Keith Hiraoka issued his official order denying a years-long effort by the group Kua‘aina Ulu ‘Auamo (KUA) to … Continued
Editor’s note: On October 10, the Public Utilities Commission clarified that its order approving the GEMS program in September 2014 “does not preclude the HGIA from committing GEMS funds” to the Kahauiki Village project. The PUC went on to … Continued
Land Board Approves Rule Changes Banning Feeding, Abandoning Animals According to testimony from some of the women who manage feral cat colonies on O‘ahu, cat numbers can be dramatically reduced with proper care — not leaving food out, trapping, spaying … Continued
October 2017
Over the past year, Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co. went from cultivating tens of thousands of acres of one of the thirstiest crops, sugarcane, to raising cattle, experimenting with biofuel crops on a tiny fraction of that land, and working … Continued
Every year, the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) holds its annual meeting in December mainly to hash out how to best manage tuna stocks that have been depleted over the years by purse seiners and longline vessels. … Continued