August 2026 PDF
This PDF contains an error in the article on page 7, “In Sierra Club Appeal, Judge Reverses Water Permit, Orders Contested Case on East Maui Diversions.” The court ordered a contested case to be held by September 28 if the...
Attorney General Bails Out ADC With Loan to Cover NPDES Challenge
“This is crazy. It’s a crazy amount of money. It’s like $2 million dollars.” Wendy Gady, executive director of the state Agribusiness Development Corporation, was describing the legal charges her agency had already incurred and those it was likely to … Continued
EDITORIAL: The Costly Debacle of the ADC’s NPDES Challenge
(Above photo: Kevin Minoli. Credit: Alston & Bird) In November 2024, members of the board of the state Agribusiness Development Corporation were advised by Ben Berridge of Stantec GS, Inc., that complying with permit conditions of a draft National Pollutant … Continued
The Special Deputy AG’s Fees
(Above photo: From the state’s contract with Alston & Bird.) Environment Hawaiʻi received detailed breakdowns of invoices submitted by the law firm of Alston & Bird to the Agribusiness Development Corporation. Here’s what we learned: The first invoice, dated July … Continued
New & Noteworthy: State Supreme Court Issues Decisions On Maui Grading Permit, SMA Rules
‘Good Cause’ Challenge Upheld: On June 26, the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court upheld the right of a Hawaiian group, Mālama Kakanilua, to challenge a decision of the Maui County director of Public Works to grant a time extension of a grading...
In Sierra Club Appeal, Judge Reverses Water Permit, Orders Contested Case on East Maui Diversions
“BLNR’s renewal decision for the 2026 RP must be reversed, because BLNR breached its public trust duties by (1) failing to render independent findings for the identification and protection of Native Hawaiian traditional and customary practices, and (2) failing to...
Kama‘ole Designation Petition Languishes While Groundwater Flow Study Proceeds
(Above chart credit: Petition to designate Kamaʻole aquifer system area.) Last year, when the Commission on Water Resource Management voted to accept a petition by the Honolulu Board of Water Supply to designate the Waiʻanae aquifer sector as a groundwater...
ICA Upholds Dismissal of SLAPP Against Marconi Point Unit Owners
Two years ago, Wayne and Tara Hu beat a lawsuit filed against them by companies owned by the developer of an agricultural condominium project at Marconi Point on O‘ahu’s North Shore. The companies had sued them after the couple’s attorney,...
Efforts to Protect Kahuku Coastal Lands Make Headway at City Council and in Court
(Above photo: Ke Kīpuka o Kalaeuila.) Oceanfront acreage on O‘ahu’s North Shore! A rare opportunity to own over 170 acres of land fronting miles of white sand beach. This is one of the last beachfront tracks of land that has...