This month, the state Land Use Commission will resume its discussion of whether or not farm dwellings in the Agricultural District can be used as short-term vacation rentals, or STVRs. In February, Hawai‘i County submitted a petition to the LUC … Continued
Hu Honua Bioenergy has lost its effort to win Public Utilities Commission approval of its power purchase agreement with Hawaiian Electric. The PUC rejected the agreement on July 9, on the grounds that the price per kilowatt-hour was not competitive with that … Continued
On July 20, 3rd Circuit Judge Robert Kim heard arguments in the most recent litigation brought by ‘Aina Le‘a, Inc., intended to knock down hurdles that block its planned development of a mix of luxury and affordable housing, commercial space, … Continued
Cell Tower Challenge: AT&T is suing Hawai‘i County in federal court over the denial of a permit to erect a cell phone tower in Puna. The complaint was filed July 2 in federal district court in Honolulu against the county … Continued
On May 20, the state Agribusiness Development Corporation’s board of directors approved a new water user agreement that will require anyone drawing from the agency’s Bott Well Pump Station to pay $0.89 per thousand gallons. The well, which has a … Continued
The Department of Land and Natural Resources is still trying to figure out what to do with the revocable permit that the Kaneohe Yacht Club in Windawrd Oahu has held since 1977. The agency has resolved in recent years to … Continued
The Hawai‘i Supreme Court has issued a ruling that makes clear what it thinks of the Public Utilities Commission’s effort to push the companies it regulates to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. And that is: Not much. In a decision issued … Continued
FKW POPs: Since 2012, the Main Hawaiian Islands population of false killer whales has been on the federal endangered species list. For even longer, the whales have been known to suffer serious injury and even death from interactions with fishing gear. Lack … Continued
The Hawai‘i Supreme Court has upheld the decision of the state Land Use Commission in a dispute over water on Lana‘i that goes back three decades, allowing the use of brackish water from the island’s high-level aquifer to be used … Continued