A Loss for American Samoa: The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has overturned a lower court decision, effectively giving longline fishing vessels the right to fish as close as 12 miles from the territory’s coast. The decision is a blow to … Continued
Danny Julkowski threw himself on the mercy of the Leeward Planning Commission of Hawai‘i County last month. And as sympathetic as the commissioners were to his plight, their mercy was more limited. Julkowski was asking the commissioners to recommend that the … Continued
In July and August, both the Leeward and Windward Planning Commissions of Hawaiʻi County approved a recommendation that the County Council change the county’s zoning ordinance and county code to allow for a range of activities at the county’s two … Continued
On August 13, the state Land Use Commission voted to grant Hawaiʻi County’s petition for a declaratory ruling that short-term vacation rentals are not allowed for dwellings in the state Agricultural District. In so doing, it agreed with the county’s … Continued
What Maui County thought would be a slam-dunk request to the state Land Use Commission turned out to be anything but. Last month, the county went before the LUC with a request to have it extend, and expand by more … Continued
Hu Honua Bioenergy has lost its effort to win Public Utilities Commission approval of its power purchase agreement with Hawaiian Electric. The PUC rejected the agreement on July 9, on the grounds that the price per kilowatt-hour was not competitive with that … Continued
On July 20, 3rd Circuit Judge Robert Kim heard arguments in the most recent litigation brought by ‘Aina Le‘a, Inc., intended to knock down hurdles that block its planned development of a mix of luxury and affordable housing, commercial space, … Continued
Cell Tower Challenge: AT&T is suing Hawai‘i County in federal court over the denial of a permit to erect a cell phone tower in Puna. The complaint was filed July 2 in federal district court in Honolulu against the county … Continued
The Hawai‘i Supreme Court has issued a ruling that makes clear what it thinks of the Public Utilities Commission’s effort to push the companies it regulates to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. And that is: Not much. In a decision issued … Continued
FKW POPs: Since 2012, the Main Hawaiian Islands population of false killer whales has been on the federal endangered species list. For even longer, the whales have been known to suffer serious injury and even death from interactions with fishing gear. Lack … Continued