A recent decision of the Intermediate Court of Appeals has not settled the law on ownership of accreted shore land in Hawai`i, but has rather set in motion heated debate on exactly what the court’s decision means. By January 11, … Continued
It is well established in Hawaii that the high wash of the waves determines the boundary between public and private land. And given the ruling late last year by the state Intermediate Court of Appeals, it appears that the state, … Continued
Fence to Protect Ka`ena Point’s Birds, Plants “The fence is an opportunity to give back to organisms we stomped on,” University of Hawai`i zoology professor Sheila Conant told the state Board of Land and Natural Resources at its meeting … Continued
Service Sued Over Kaua`i Listings: WildEarth Guardians is suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over its failure to place 48 species of plants and animals of Kaua`i on its endangered species list. According to the lawsuit, filed January 4 in … Continued
Here’s what’s happening – or not – with the Villages of `Aina Le`a, a development on a thousand-acre tract of land put into the Urban district more than 20 years ago: Construction of affordable townhouses has stalled out after completion … Continued
The Sierra Club, Hawai`i Chapter, is appealing the recent action of the Land Use Commission to reclassify lands in Central O`ahu for the Koa Ridge development proposed by Castle & Cooke. The organization was an intervenor in the LUC’s formal … Continued
The state’s long-awaited feed-in tariff (FIT) program has gone live. Last month, an independent observer appointed by the state Public Utilities Commission launched a website for the FIT program, which allows owners of small solar photovoltaic (PV), wind, in-line hydro, … Continued
Land Board Settles Dispute Over Reef Damage at Keawakapu, Maui The attorneys negotiated until the last possible moment, and even after the vote, it wasn’t entirely clear whether the approved language assigned responsibility for the incident. On November 12, after … Continued
Disputed No More: For the last 25 years, a 10-acre parcel of land in North Kohala, just south of the hauntingly beautiful Lapakahi State Park, has been the object of heated disputes as owners sought to obtain Conservation District Use Permits … Continued
The owner and operator of O`ahu’s Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill are contesting their $424,000 fine, levied May 13 by the state Department of Health (DOH). The fine was imposed for several infractions, including the use of a wrong type of … Continued