Opponents of the planned introduction of a biocontrol agent for strawberry guava have raised several arguments. Here are the top concerns, along with the responses from scientists with the Forest Service, the USDA Agricultural Research Service, and others: • The … Continued
A dream, or a nightmare? A visionary solution to Hawai`i’s growing problems of rubbish and oil dependency? Or a pie-in-the-sky proposal, completely untethered from reality? Those were among the conflicting views of a proposal that recently came before the board … Continued
According to Mike Dworsky, Hawai`i County’s director of solid waste, on an average day, the West Hawai`i landfill at Pu`uanahulu takes in from 380 to 400 tons of refuse. For each ton delivered, haulers pay a tipping fee of $85. … Continued
Last year, the state Legislature authorized up to $10 million in special purpose revenue bonds to help Sopogy build a solar-energy plant at Keahole, Kona, on state land administered by the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawai`i Authority. That cleared the … Continued
On June 10, to streamline its contracting process and to ratify current practices, the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawai`i Authority board granted the power to execute a variety of documents to administrator Ron Baird. Personnel: With regard to personnel matters, … Continued
“Here it is May 2008 with an order that requires completion in a couple of weeks from now, and this is the first time we’re hearing of this…..All of a sudden, it’s 2008 and it’s, ‘Oh, sorry, we can’t do … Continued
Kona Conservation: On June 6, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources announced that it had accepted a $1.968 million dollar grant from the U.S. Forest Legacy Program to help complete the purchase of a perpetual conservation easement over … Continued
“Climate change poses a serious threat to the economic well-being, public health, natural resources, and the environment of Hawai`i.” That statement, included in the preamble to Act 234, passed by the Legislature last year and signed by the governor on … Continued
Act 234 itemizes 12 separate areas of concern or charges that the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Task Force is to report on in the work plan deliverable to the Legislature before December 1, 2009. They are: Consultation with all state … Continued
In comparison to other states, Hawai`i’s total greenhouse gas emissions are low (43rd among 50 states and the District of Columbia). As measured in terms of per-capita emissions, it loses ground somewhat: still, at 18 tons of greenhouse gases a … Continued