Steven Jacobson, the hearing officer in the first contested case involving the Conservation District Use Permit for the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope, shocked all involved when he announced, after making his finding, that he had been subject to pressure from … Continued
The Hilo courtroom of Judge Greg K. Nakamura was packed. Mothers with small children, students, and even this reporter were sitting cross-legged on the aisle between the rows of benches. In the seats, enthusiastic supporters of the proposed Thirty-Meter Telescope … Continued
Five years ago, scientists pushed for a 30 percent reduction in bigeye tuna catches made in the Western and Central Pacific. That was the amount that was required, they said, to rebuild the stock to the point it could be … Continued
The negotiations over what the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission calls its Conservation and Management Measure for tropical tuna – including bigeye, yellowfin, skipjack, and albacore – took place over the entire five-day meeting of the commission, and always … Continued
In the end, no one – at least none of those who were talking – seemed satisfied. Last month, after five days of intense negotiation in the Cairns, Australia, convention center, the tenth meeting of the Western and Central Fisheries … Continued
Five years ago, state land on the Big Island experienced the biofuel equivalent of a gold rush. Bioprospectors – folks wanting to make a fortune from crops that could be used as feedstock in a variety of biofuel products – … Continued
When the Hu Honua plant was proposed in 2008, the owners were Ethanol Research Hawai`i, a company owned by Hawai`i alternate energy entrepreneur Daniel KenKnight, which held around 10 percent of the equity, and MMARV Bioenergy, a subsidiary of Municipal … Continued
When it was originally proposed, the Hu Honua Bioenergy power plant, just north of Hilo in the village of Pepe`ekeo, seemed like an answer to several challenges facing the Big Island and the state as a whole. Using wood (biomass) … Continued