This month, the state Land Use Commission will resume its discussion of whether or not farm dwellings in the Agricultural District can be used as short-term vacation rentals, or STVRs. In February, Hawai‘i County submitted a petition to the LUC … Continued
Cell Tower Challenge: AT&T is suing Hawai‘i County in federal court over the denial of a permit to erect a cell phone tower in Puna. The complaint was filed July 2 in federal district court in Honolulu against the county … Continued
On May 20, the state Agribusiness Development Corporation’s board of directors approved a new water user agreement that will require anyone drawing from the agency’s Bott Well Pump Station to pay $0.89 per thousand gallons. The well, which has a … Continued
Book-ended by opening and closing Christian prayers from chair Archie Soliai, the federal Western Pacific Fishery Management Council’s June meeting included the near-unanimous approval of a letter to President Donald Trump, commending him for lifting the commercial fishing ban in the Northeast … Continued
Monitoring confirms it: The Ha‘ena Community-Based Subsistence Fishing Area (CBSFA) works. In October 2014, the Board of Land and Natural Resources approved rules establishing the area over the objections and a contested case hearing request by commercial fishermen Michael Sur and Makani Christensen. Christensen … Continued
Also at its June meeting, the commission approved a joint funding agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey for a $100,000 study to determine what kinds of data should be collected to determine impacts of native and non-native plant species on … Continued
On May 22, after hours of public testimony and a long executive session to discuss legal matters, the Board of Land and Natural Resources unanimously voted to deny a recommendation from the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ (DLNR) Division … Continued
When, exactly, should an environmental assessment or impact statement be done for a state action? Regarding the century-long diversion of water from dozens of East Maui streams for sugarcane and now diversified agriculture and municipal uses, Alexander & Baldwin’s efforts … Continued
On May 8, the state Board of Land and Natural Resources extended, for the third time, a Conservation District Use Permit for a controversial shoreline erosion control project fronting the Hololani Resort Condominiums in West Maui. Under the original permit … Continued
Last month, Environment Hawai‘i reported on a new draft bat guidance document aimed at helping the state Endangered Species Recovery Committee (ESRC) make decisions regarding the Habitat Conservation Plans and Incidental Take Licenses that are required for wind farms to incidentally harm … Continued