Last month’s virtual meeting of the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council brought few surprises, but the council did take two votes that should reduce the impact of longline fisheries on protected species. It: • Voted to recommend a change in fishing rules … Continued
HoKua Files Motion To Withdraw Petition On May 27, just as Environment Hawai‘i was preparing to go to press, William Yuen, attorney for HGKJV, LLC, filed a motion with the Land Use Commission asking that the company be allowed to withdraw the boundary amendment … Continued
Hu Honua Re-Remand: The Hawaiʻi Supreme Court has tossed back to the Public Utilities Commission – for a second time – a decision in the case of the Big Island biomass power plant. The first court case, resolved in 2019, … Continued
The state Land Use Commission is holding hearings on a boundary amendment petition to place about 96 acres of former cane land near Kapa‘a, Kaua‘i, into the state Urban District to allow for one of the largest – if not the largest – … Continued
Sewage is killing the reefs of Hawaiʻi. Sure, other factors are at play. There’s overfishing, especially of herbivores. Physical damage from hurricanes. Chemicals in runoff from former plantation fields and lawns, oils from highways and leaking underground tanks and pipes. … Continued
(This article has been changed to correct the spelling of John Pipan’s name.) Which has the greater value? Keeping a private swimming pool, to be used by a handful of guests at an exclusive Kona bed-and-breakfast that sits practically on … Continued
Recycling in Good Conscience: In 2019, Hawaiʻi exported more than 10 million pounds of plastics for recycling to destinations selected almost always based on cost. But, as Senate Resolution 12 notes, “end-of-life processing for recyclable plastics and waste in many … Continued
For years now, an issue that has stymied efforts to protect false killer whales from the often fatal interactions with the gear of non-longline commercial fishers has been the fact that there are no reliable figures on just how often … Continued
Waikoloa Project 2.0: The proposed affordable housing project on 11.7 acres of land near the Big Island community of Waikoloa is going back to the drawing board. Two bills that would have allowed the development of commercial space, affordable housing … Continued
The U.S. Supreme Court has laid to rest, once and for all, the claim of Bridge ʻAina Leʻa that the state of Hawaiʻi owes it money for a temporary taking. That “taking” claim arises from the Land Use Commission’s 2011 … Continued