For years, Susan Cordell has been studying Hawai`i’s dry forests and looking for ways to break what she calls the “grass-fire cycle.” Broadly speaking, that is when grasses get the upper hand over native dry-forest vegetation through the double-whammy of … Continued
In the end, the longliners were worried for nothing. In fact, things may get a little easier for them. On January 30, the National Marine Fisheries Service issued its new biological opinion (BiOp) on the effects eliminating the effort limit … Continued
The long contested case hearing over the proposed $300 million Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST) on Maui took an unusual twist last month, with the hearing officer alleging “inappropriate … pressure and activity by U.S. Senator Inouye’s and the Governor’s … Continued
Anchialine Nightlife: The animals in Hawai`i’s anchialine ponds, to the extent they have been studied at all, have been studied mostly during daylight hours. But Troy Sakihara, a biologist with the Hawai`i Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of … Continued
I am grateful to Environment Hawai`i for running a lengthy review of Intelligent Tinkering: Bridging the Gap Between Science and Practice in its February issue, but was disheartened by Susan Cordell’s grossly distorted overview of my book’s content, arguments, and … Continued
It started out with a whimper, but the state’s feed-in-tariff program has ramped up so fast that renewable energy projects totaling more than 100 megawatts are now sitting idle until room opens up for them. Under the program, renewable energy … Continued
The controversial open-ocean fish farm proposed by Hawai`i Oceanic Technology, Inc. (HOTI) has won a couple of concessions from the state Board of Land and Natural Resources recently, despite calls from opponents to abandon the project. On February 24, at … Continued
Linda Rosehill could not have been more emphatic: The Kaua`i Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) is not interested in buying electricity from Pacific Light and Power (PLP), its partner, Palo Alto-based Orenco Hydropower, or its slated power purchaser, the Kekaha Agriculture … Continued
Shearwater Deaths: In January, the state Attorney General’s office asked the chief procurement officer for an exemption from the usual bidding practices. The AG was seeking to retain legal counsel to represent it in a criminal case that the U.S. … Continued
What force and effect should be given to the community development plans that the Hawai`i County Council has adopted in recent years? That question is at the heart of a lawsuit being heard in 3rd Circuit Court, which challenges a … Continued