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
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
Scathing. That may be the single best word to describe the Hawai‘i Supreme Court’s characterization of arguments put forward by the Department of Land and Natural Resources in defense of the department’s position that the commercial collection of aquarium fish … Continued
In short, it’s still there, blanketed in naupaka, just as the abutting landowners want it to be. Efforts to clean up the legal morass surrounding its existence are in limbo. In August 2015, Environment Hawai‘i published a cover story on … Continued
American Samoa Wins: The government of American Samoa has prevailed in a federal court challenge to the National Marine Fisheries Service and Western Pacific Fishery Management Council executive director Kitty Simonds, among others. The case involved the decision by the … Continued
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
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
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
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
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