Save the Date: <\/b>Robin Baird, the foremost expert on Hawai`i\u2019s false killer whales and other resident cetaceans, will be the special guest speaker at the annual Environment Hawai`i <\/i>dinner.<\/p>\n
Date: August 21, Sunday.<\/p>\n
Time: 6-8:30 pm<\/p>\n
Place: `Imiloa Astronomy Center, Hilo<\/p>\n
Cost: $65 per person (includes a $20 donation)<\/p>\n
Baird, who has studied these cryptic animals for the last 17 years, will be speaking on the topic, \u201cConservation and Management of Hawai`i\u2019s Whales and Dolphins.\u201d His book, The Lives of Hawai`i\u2019s Dolphins and Whales,<\/i> will be published later this year by the University of Hawai`i Press.<\/p>\n
Much more information about Baird\u2019s work may be found in the Cascadia Research Collective\u2019s website, www.cascadiaresearch.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n To reserve a seat, please call our office at 808 934-0115 or send a check to Environment Hawai`i, 190 Keawe Street, #29, Hilo HI 96720.<\/p>\n Hu Honua Questions: <\/b>Last month, the Public Utilities Commission issued a set of information requests to Hawaiian Electric and its subsidiary Big Island utility, Hawaiian Electric Light Company (HELCO) regarding the cancellation of a power purchase agreement with Hu Honua, the company proposing to build a biomass plant in Pepe`ekeo, on the Hamakua coast of the Big Island.<\/p>\n The utility cancelled the PPA, effective March 1. Now the PUC wants to know details of the negotiations, if any, between the utility and principals of Hu Honua \u2013 when, where, how they took place and who was involved. It also is asking for copies of \u201call documents prepared by or for\u201d the utility concerning the decision to terminate the PPA; and \u201ca summary of any internal discussions\u201d on the matter, among other things.<\/p>\n The commission also wants to know what role, if any, HECO suitor NextEra played in the decision. Were any NextEra representatives \u201cinvolved in any of the discussions or negotiations\u201d concerning the decision to cancel the Hu Honua PPA? Were any NextEra representatives \u201crequired to approve the decision to terminate\u201d? And, finally, \u201cplease state whether HELCO and\/or the HECO companies discussed or consulted with any representatives of NextEra \u2026 with respect to the decision to terminate.\u201d<\/p>\n A response was due by June 21.<\/p>\n Money Money Money: <\/b>The Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism is proposing to spend $40,000 over the coming fiscal year in sponsorship of events \u201cthat promote and generate awareness of Hawai`i\u2019s clean energy goals.\u201d DBEDT\u2019s Hawai`i State Energy Office (HSEO) filed the proposal with the state procurement office early last month.<\/p>\n According to the proposal, DBEDT will open a request for proposals. Applications will be evaluated by a committee, which will then recommend funding to the state procurement office.<\/p>\n And in case anyone wondered where the funds are coming from, according to the information presented to the procurement office, \u201cHSEO sponsorships are 100% federally funded.\u201d<\/p>\n Quote of the Month<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n \u201cI would like to take these environmentalists outside the reef and give them a little cut and see how their families cry for them.\u201d \u2013 Manny Duenas, former Wespac member<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Save the Date: Robin Baird, the foremost expert on Hawai`i’s false killer whales and other resident cetaceans, will be the special guest speaker at the annual Environment Hawai`i dinner. Date: August 21, Sunday. Time: 6-8:30 pm Place: `Imiloa Astronomy Center, … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8972,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[403],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-july-2016"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9064"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9064\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8972"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/environment-hawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}