October 2017 PDF
October 2017
Native Hawaiians, Conservationists Balk At Reserving Stream Water for HC&S Plan
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
New Stock Assessment Models Suggest Bigeye Tuna May No Longer Be Overfished
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
Revised Shoreline Setback Ordinance Is a Step Backward, Says Kaua‘i Activist
Did the 2014 amendments to Kaua‘i County’s shoreline setback ordinance weaken what was once considered to be one of the strongest laws of its kind in the state? Unlike O‘ahu, where shoreline setbacks are 40 feet from the certified shoreline, … Continued
Fish Collectors, Claiming Property Rights, Now Ask Court to Let Them Intervene
Five years after the Department of Land and Natural Resources was sued over its practice of indiscriminately awarding permits for aquarium fish collection, four years after the lower court ruling was challenged in the Intermediate Court of Appeals, and more … Continued
Arbiter in Maui Water Case Gives Weight To A&B’s Tentative Diversified Ag Plan
With the closure last December of Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar’s (HC&S) sugarcane plantation, most of its former fields in Central Maui now sit fallow. Some cattle graze on a small portion, and the company has made moves to grow bioenergy … Continued
Once More, Green Infrastructure Agency Is Attempting to Remove PUC Oversight
If at first you don’t succeed… With the Hawai`i Green Infrastructure Authority (HGIA) having failed to win the Legislature’s approval of a bill to relieve it of Public Utility Commission oversight, it is now trying to get the PUC to … Continued
HGIA Disses ‘Clean Energy Advocates’
In attempting to advance its case for freedom from the yoke of the Public Utilities Commission, the Hawai`i Green Infrastructure Authority throws shade on “clean energy advocates,” who, it would seem, don’t understand the real motivation of “low and … Continued
Who Pays the Vig on DOE Loan?
When Gov. David Ige signed House Bill 957 into law, the Hawai‘i Green Infrastructure Authority was mandated to give an interest-free $46.4 million loan to the state Department of Education. The money is to pay for energy-efficiency improvements to public … Continued
Board Talk: Flooding, Erosion, and Legacy Lands
Constant Flooding Hampers Tenant’s Ability To Pay Rent for Mapunapuna Demo Business By now, anyone who watches the local evening news knows that Mapunapuna floods dramatically during high tides and heavy rains. As local scientists and government agencies have ramped up … Continued