On June 6, every seat in the ornate second-floor courtroom of Ali`iolani Hale was taken well before the 9 a.m. start of oral arguments before the justices of the Hawai`i Supreme Court. Stragglers were forced to stand. That day, parties … Continued
The findings in legislative auditor Marion Higa’s report on the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawai`i Authority (NELHA) should come as no surprise to anyone who has been keeping up with that agency through the pages of Environment Hawai`i. The report, … Continued
The state’s feed-in-tariff (FIT) program is simply experiencing growing pains. That’s the opinion of Harry Judd, the independent observer (IO) appointed by the state Public Utilities Commission to oversee the FIT program, launched in 2010 to facilitate the interconnection of … Continued
The Maui County Council is standing in the way of the state’s efforts to develop the commercial potential of nearly 700 acres of state-owned land in Pu`unene. The Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Land Division has appealed to the … Continued
Yet another renewable energy company has clamped its eyes on Kaua`i lands controlled by the state Agribusiness Development Corporation. Hawai`i Bioenergy, which seeks to develop, produce and sell biofuels in Hawai`i, announced to the ADC board in May that it … Continued
Mauna Kea’s Lake Waiau, considered by native Hawaiians to be a portal to the spirit world, seems to be disappearing. The water level has dropped radically in recent months, and with high elevation temperatures in Hawai`i increasing three times faster … Continued
It was the closure that didn’t happen. On November 18, the Federal Register published a notice that the Hawai`i longline tuna fishery in the Western Pacific (west of 150˚ W longitude) would be closed from November 27 until the end … Continued
For scientists looking for clues to the formation of the universe at its very edge, nearly 14 billion light years away, the Thirty-Meter Telescope proposed to be built on Mauna Kea is the holy grail of astronomy. To the several … Continued
One of the thorniest issues to arise during the contested case hearing over a Conservation District Use Permit for the Thirty-Meter Telescope was what weight and deference would be given to the claims of petitioners that its construction would offend … Continued
Irradiator Loan Guarantee: The irradiation facility once proposed for land near the Honolulu airport, and now proposed to be built in central O`ahu, has moved forward to the point where it is working out details of financing. Last month, the … Continued