October 2026 PDF
(The cover article in this pdf incorrectly states that the zoning bills for the Waikoloa Green project would be considered again on October 9. They will be taken up on October 6.)...
Questions About Water Again Delay Approvals for Waikoloa Development
Danny Popkin was clearly frustrated. The proposal for a major housing development near Waikoloa Village that he and business partner Jon Yoshimura had expected to be approved September 1 by the Hawaiʻi County Council’s Committee on Legislative Approvals and Acquisitions had run into a headwind. A positive vote by the committee would mean that their project, Waikoloa Green, would next be heard by the County Council, the final step in winning approval for the rezoning needed to carry out the plan.
Waikoloa Green Cuts Water Budget 72 Percent After Article in Environment Hawai‘i
After the September 1 hearing before the Hawaiʻi County Council’s Committee on Legislative Approvals and Acquisitions, consultant to Waikoloa Green John Pipan wasted no time in revising its water demand. He obtained a new will-serve letter from Hawaiʻi Water Service, … Continued
New & Noteworthy: Poor Punaluʻu, Mahi Pono Appeal
Poor Punaluʻu: Even before the Kaʻu District of the Big Island felt the terrible punch of Hurricane Lala on August 16, the small community living in the Black Sand Beach resort was plagued by the ongoing failures of Punaluʻu Water...
Emergency Authorizations Abound Following Storm Damage to Streams
Intense rainfall that drenched the state during the first few months of this yeardevastated infrastructure, homes, farms, and waterways, forcing many to quickly deploy excavators to clear mud and debris and/or shore up eroded stream banks. Hawai`i Administrative Rules require...
Drama at NELHA: Cyber Attack, Tenants Leave, And Complaints for Damages from Seawater
There’s high drama at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaiʻi Authority. Maybe the most drama came in May, when NELHA’s director, Riley Sato, on the job for barely a year, passed away. The board of directors is still looking for...
Board Talk: Clean Energy Project Planned for ‘Ewa Feedlot Changes Hands, Drops Hydrogen Component
On August 28, the state Board of Land and Natural Resources amended its January 9 decision authorizing the Department of Land and Natural Resources to hold public hearings on a 20-megawatt solar-hydrogen energy project proposed for 100 acres of state...
September 2026 PDF
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Waikoloa Green Project Wins Favor With County, But Water Issues Loom
Once more, a massive development is being proposed on a site near Waikoloa Village. If the plans of landowner Waikoloa Green, LLC, move forward, over the next two decades, some 400 apartments and around 300 single-family houses will sprout on … Continued
Board Talk: East Maui Water
Board Advances Court-Ordered Contested Case On Revocable Permits for East Maui Diversions Following recent orders from the Environmental Court, the Board of Land and Natural Resources voted last month to authorize its chair to appoint a hearing officer and to...