Agriculture Archives | Environment Hawaiʻi

30 Sep 2026

Questions About Water Again Delay Approvals for Waikoloa Development

by Teresa | posted in: Agriculture, Climate Change, Land Use, October 2026, Water | 0

Danny Popkin was clearly frustrated. The proposal for a major housing development near Waikoloa Village that he and business partner Jon Yoshimura had expected to be approved September 1 by the Hawaiʻi County Council’s Committee on Legislative Approvals and Acquisitions had run into a headwind. A positive vote by the committee would mean that their project, Waikoloa Green, would next be heard by the County Council, the final step in winning approval for the rezoning needed to carry out the plan.

30 Sep 2026

Waikoloa Green Cuts Water Budget 72 Percent After Article in Environment Hawai‘i

by Teresa | posted in: Agriculture, Land Use, October 2026, Water | 0

After the September 1 hearing before the Hawaiʻi County Council’s Committee on Legislative Approvals and Acquisitions, consultant to Waikoloa Green John Pipan wasted no time in revising its water demand. He obtained a new will-serve letter from Hawaiʻi Water Service, … Continued

31 Aug 2026

Waikoloa Green Project Wins Favor With County, But Water Issues Loom

by Teresa | posted in: Agriculture, Land Use, September 2026 | 0

Once more, a massive development is being proposed on a site near Waikoloa Village. If the plans of landowner Waikoloa Green, LLC, move forward, over the next two decades, some 400 apartments and around 300 single-family houses will sprout on … Continued

31 Aug 2026

Beleaguered ADC Executive Director Quits in Anticipation of Her Dismissal

by Teresa | posted in: Agriculture, September 2026 | 0

Wendy Gady, for nearly three years the executive director of the Agribusiness Development Corporation, is out. Facing almost certain termination after an evaluation of her performance that included a negative grade, Gady submitted her resignation letter on August 12, effective...

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3 Aug 2026

Attorney General Bails Out ADC With Loan to Cover NPDES Challenge

by Teresa | posted in: Agriculture, August 2026 | 0

“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

3 Aug 2026

EDITORIAL: The Costly Debacle of the ADC’s NPDES Challenge

by Teresa | posted in: Agriculture, August 2026, Editorial | 0

(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

3 Aug 2026

The Special Deputy AG’s Fees

by Teresa | posted in: Agriculture, August 2026 | 0

(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

3 Aug 2026

ICA Upholds Dismissal of SLAPP Against Marconi Point Unit Owners

by Teresa | posted in: Agriculture, August 2026, Endangered Species, Land Use | 0

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,...

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1 Jul 2026

Department of Agriculture’s Slow Roll-out Of Kona CRB Rule Is Faulted at Meeting

by Teresa | posted in: Agriculture, Invasives, July 2026 | 1

The first time the presence of coconut rhinoceros beetles on the island of Hawaiʻi was detected occurred in October 2023. In the stump of a decaying palm tree, residents of Waikoloa found six suspicious larvae, which the Department of Agriculture...

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1 Jul 2026

DAB’s Recent Contracts for Biosecurity

by Teresa | posted in: Agriculture, Invasives, July 2026 | 0

June, the last month of the state’s fiscal year, is probably the busiest month of the year for contracting as state agencies rush to encumber funds rather than face the prospect of seeing them lapse back into the general fund....

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