The Sierra Club, Hawai`i Chapter, is appealing the recent action of the Land Use Commission to reclassify lands in Central O`ahu for the Koa Ridge development proposed by Castle & Cooke. The organization was an intervenor in the LUC’s formal … Continued
The state’s long-awaited feed-in tariff (FIT) program has gone live. Last month, an independent observer appointed by the state Public Utilities Commission launched a website for the FIT program, which allows owners of small solar photovoltaic (PV), wind, in-line hydro, … Continued
Land Board Settles Dispute Over Reef Damage at Keawakapu, Maui The attorneys negotiated until the last possible moment, and even after the vote, it wasn’t entirely clear whether the approved language assigned responsibility for the incident. On November 12, after … Continued
Disputed No More: For the last 25 years, a 10-acre parcel of land in North Kohala, just south of the hauntingly beautiful Lapakahi State Park, has been the object of heated disputes as owners sought to obtain Conservation District Use Permits … Continued
The owner and operator of O`ahu’s Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill are contesting their $424,000 fine, levied May 13 by the state Department of Health (DOH). The fine was imposed for several infractions, including the use of a wrong type of … Continued
A proposal to develop land near the southern end of the Keahole airport into a mixed residential and commercial development appears to have moved a giant step closer to approval now that the state Department of Transportation and the developer … Continued
When it comes to environmental measures, the number passed by the Hawai`i Legislature in 2010 was not huge. However, several of the bills passed have far-ranging consequences. Almost certainly, the most consequential measure is Act 73, which increases to $1.05 … Continued
The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, which recommends management measures for fisheries in the U.S. waters of the western and central Pacific Ocean, is finding that as resources diminish, managing what remains is getting harder and harder. The discussions … Continued
Another Setback for Irradiator: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has sided with a citizens’ group in Honolulu, determining that the public should have the opportunity to comment on a revised environmental assessment for the fruit irradiation facility proposed by Pa`ina Hawai`i, LLC. … Continued
By almost all accounts, the vision behind the residential and commercial development proposed for about 300 acres on the Kona Coast, in an area known as O`oma, is a model of progressive, state-of-the-art thinking when it comes to urban planning. … Continued