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
It was a decision none of the Land Use Commissioners was eager to make. A long silence greeted commission chair Kyle Chock when he asked for a motion on a request by Maui Tomorrow Foundation, Inc., South Maui Citizens for … Continued
One of the state’s best tools against invasive species is biocontrol, according to state Department of Agiculture invasive species specialist Carol Okada. And in recent years, local resource management agencies here have received approvals to release carefully selected insects to … Continued
This month, the Hawaiian Electric Company is expected to submit its report to the state Public Utilities Commission re-examining the initial phases of its feed-in-tariff program, which guarantees participants that HECO, Maui Electric Company, and the Hawai`i Electric Light Company … Continued
Thanks, but no thanks. That, basically, is the response of several divisions of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources to the recent proposal of the Sand Island Business Association to trade private lands worth about $175 million for … Continued
All further “development” of the troubled project known as the Villages of `Aina Le`a has been halted as a result of an order of Judge Elizabeth Strance of the 3rd Circuit Court. Last month, Strance ruled that the County of … Continued
Over the last month, the County of Hawai`i Planning Department has taken several actions with respect to the projects of builder Scott Watson that were discussed in the December issue of Environment Hawai`i. The ‘Pepe`ekeo Palace’ On November 29, Hawai`i … Continued