Farm Dwellings as Vacation Rentals? The Question Heads to Appeals Court
The long-running dispute over what activities are permitted on the Big Island’s agricultural land is as far from being resolved as it ever has been. Last year, the 3rd Circuit Court found that the state Land Use Commission was wrong … Continued
New & Noteworthy: Hilo Cliff House, WCPFC, Water Deputy
Cliff Sheds, Price Soars: A coastal house in Hilo had to be partly demolished a few years ago, when county inspectors deemed it unsafe. The house, perched atop a cliff near Honoliʻi, had begun to slide into the ocean. Debris … Continued
Transportation Agency Seeks to Dismiss Climate Lawsuit Filed by Hawaiʻi Youth
For 15-year-old Navahine Fukumitsu, climate change has made it harder for her family to farm kalo on its kuleana lands in Hakipuʻu, O’ahu, which it has done for more than ten generations. “[C]limate change is altering the growing season, decreasing … Continued
Issues in Climate Case by Hawaiʻi Youth Echo Those Raised in Washington, Alaska
The climate change lawsuit filed last year by about a dozen young people from Hawaiʻi against the state and its Department of Transportation is similar to others filed over the past several years in other state and federal courts. Filings … Continued
Courts Roundup: Aquarium Fishing, Koloa Development, Kahala Permit
Aquarium Permits: On January 30, Environmental Court Judge Jeffrey Crabtree granted a motion filed last year by the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) to amend a statewide ban on the issuance of aquarium collecting permits that had been in … Continued
Efforts to Quash Aquarium Collecting Ramp Up at Land Board, Legislature
Last month, the Environmental Court opened the door to the Board of Land and Natural Resources considering up to seven permits for aquarium species collection in the West Hawaiʻi Regional Fishery Management Area. When it does, opponents will be there. … Continued
Slaughterhouse Operator Wins Reprieve From DLNR Effort to Reclaim Feedlot
When will All American Trucking remove its unauthorized baseyard on the state’s ‘Ewa feedlot parcel at Campbell Industrial Park? “If we have to ask the question six ways from Sunday, it gets frustrating,” Kaiwi Yoon told Hawai‘i Meats president Bobby … Continued
New & Noteworthy: Housing Scandal, Seabed Mining, and a Correction
Hawaiʻi Housing Scandal: Federal court schedules concerning the criminal conspiracy to defraud the Hawaiʻi County Office of Housing and Community Development have been set, cancelled, and set again. On November 2, U.S. Magistrate Judge Rom Trader approved a request to … Continued