When does a law not mean what it says? Apparently, whenever the National Marine Fisheries Service decides Congress must have made a mistake. That is what has happened in the case of the Commerce Appropriations Act that was passed in … Continued
When it comes to environmental issues addressed by the 2013 Legislature, repeal of the Public Land Development Corporation grabbed headlines. That agency, established by the Legislature just two short years ago and signed into law as Act 55 of the … Continued
Sailing On: “Ahoy rrrr ye mateys! The Queen’s Treasure be sailin again!” read the June 28 message to followers of Queen’s Treasure’s Facebook page. For about the last year and a half, Ka`anapali Tours, LLC (KTL), which owns the 65-foot luxury catamaran, has been fighting … Continued
Jeff Burgett is the science coordinator of the Pacific Islands Climate Change Cooperative. At the Hilo meeting organized by Peter Vitousek of Stanford University to discuss research into Hawai`i ecosystems, Burgett spoke direly of changes to come. “Conservation is founded … Continued
There are no plenary sessions, registration fees, special badges or fancy luncheons. No logo-imprinted coffee mugs – not even a logo, for that matter. But for the last 25 years, the summer meetings organized by Stanford University professor Peter Vitousek … Continued
Monk Seals Are Not Pigs: Hawaiian monk seals are critically endangered, with only about 1,100 remaining in the wild, 140 of which live in the main Hawaiian islands. While federal resource managers are trying to grow those numbers, fishermen have begun … Continued
The Hawai`i Invasive Species Council recently announced that it would be awarding $2.5 million in grants to address problems associated with plants and animals that pose serious threats to the state’s economic and environmental health. That is a far cry … Continued
In Anahola, Kaua`i, the county has been struggling to keep `Aliomanu Road passable for the better part of two decades. It has spent millions defending the road, now reduced to one lane, from scouring waves. In years to come, it … Continued
If planning were all it took to solve the problems of global warming, the state would be sitting pretty. The call for plans to address climate change goes back more than 40 years. In 1972, the federal Coastal Zone Management … Continued
Kaua`i Springs to Get High Court Hearing: The Hawai`i Supreme Court will hear the appeal of a Kaua`i water bottler from an Intermediate Court of Appeals decision last spring. The lower court had ruled on April 30 that the Kaua`i County … Continued