Ka`u News Briefs Aug. 16, 2012

Runners make their way through the race course of 2011 Volcano Rain Forest Runs. This year's event is this Saturday.
Photo from Volcano Art Center       

THE `AINA KOA PONO proposal to build a refinery along Wood Valley Road and to clear trees and brush and grow biofuel crops on pasture and other lands in Ka`u is receiving testimony at the Public Utilities Commission from area residents. Ka`u resident Dr. Dennis Elwell, a physicist and materials researcher who worked at Stanford University and Hughes Aircraft, wrote:

       “Our community has read that there is a resubmission of the proposal to construct an experimental biofuels plant near Pahala, Hawai`i island. We hope that the Commission will reject reconsideration of this proposal since it appears to link the project with hikes in electricity rates, a link that the PUC rejected last year. I believe that I can speak for the whole community in expressing an opinion that developmental projects should be funded by research funds and not by downstream promises of a burden on the consumer. HECO/HELCO already charges rates that are around four times the national average and are a burden on all activities in the state (see recent complaints in the press by UH-Hilo about the huge and growing burden that the outrageous electricity rates place on them as an institution). I suggest that the PUC should urge HECO to fix its fundamental flaws that lead to its excessive rates before it indulges in partnerships with high-risk developments.”

       Dr. Linda-Jane Irwin, a Volcano resident, former Volcano Rotary Club president and physician, wrote: “I am a resident of Volcano and emailed you last October to thank you for your very appropriate decision to deny the HELCO and `Aina Koa Pono application to supply and utilize biofuel for local energy. Many of us in the area (especially a large number of people in Pahala where they will be most impacted) have worked hard to learn about this venture and are very disturbed about multiple issues (especially environmental impacts). I detailed some of these in my previous correspondence, and I realize environmental issues are not your primary concern, so this time I will address primarily the impracticality of this approach to reducing our dependence on oil.
       “Perhaps you have seen the Honolulu Star Advertiser editorial which expresses some of these concerns very well. Please allow me to quote, as they are more articulate than I.

Mark Glick

       “‘As new energy options develop, the focus must be on projects and strategic plans that are justifiable to consumers and cost-attritioned, not ones that depend on ratepayers for exorbitant or indefinite subsidies.’ The editorial also states that Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s ‘administration agrees with environmentalists that biofuel should be used directly to power transportation rather than replace oil in power plants. Mark Glick, the state Energy Office director, says the HECO contracts may someday extend to use of biofuel in the way the state desires. However, the use of biofuel in power plants should not dampen advances in other sources of energy — solar, wind and geothermal. We really advocate moving away from power generation as the focus for biofuels.’
      “I certainly agree. The scientific articles that I have seen regarding biofuel point out many flaws in the justifications initially used to promote them. From a practical standpoint, it makes no sense on this island to use ‘sterile grasses’ or truck invasive species to the plant (thereby risking spreading them in new areas on the route) when we have much better energy options. In addition, even considering any surcharge for this fiasco in the state with the highest energy charges in the nation would be ludicrous.
      “I implore you to once again reject the new application for this expensive, unwanted and unnecessary venture.”
      Anyone can write in to the PUC regarding its role in determining whether to approve the 20-year contract between HELCO and `Aina Koa Pono that would allow the utility to raise the electric rates to buy the biofuel. `Aina Koa Pono says it will make jobs, including the 400 for construction workers who would build the refinery over three years and 200 permanent mill and field jobs.

HA`AO SPRINGS & MOUNTAIN HOUSE Ag Water Co-op meets today at 2:30 p.m. at Wai`ohinu Park. Anyone interested in restoration of ag water to the area is invited.

RUNNERS IN SATURDAY’S RAIN FOREST RUNS can pick up their race packets tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Volcano Art Center’s Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village. A runners’ welcome luncheon with complimentary pupus and wine takes place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Niaulani Campus, and an all-you-can-eat carbo-load and salad buffet is available from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Cooper Center.
      Opening ceremonies are at 6:30 a.m. at Cooper Center on Wright Road. Half Marathon starts at 7 a.m., 10K at 7:30 a.m., 5K at 7:45 a.m. and Keiki Runs at 10 a.m. All events are open to runners and walkers of all ages and abilities. Registration fees range from $35 to $75. Contact Sharron Faff at 967-8240 or rainforestruns.com.

OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION’S monthly BBQ takes place Saturday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center. Call 937-7033.

KA`U HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI AND FRIENDS’ annual potluck reunion happens Sunday at 11 a.m. at Pahala Community Center. Everyone is invited.

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Ka`u News Brief Aug. 15, 2012

Ka`u Coast at end of Road to the Sea will be preserved with county, state and federal funding.

Petroglyphs along the shore are one resource
 within more than 3,000 acres to be preserved
  along the Ka`u Coast.

ROAD TO THE SEA lands with more than a mile of coastline will be preserved through a $1.214 million grant from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The funding aims to preserve habitat for the Hawaiian Hawksbill turtles and green sea turtles. The grant funds the purchase of 3,128 acres which include “an anchialine pool complex containing important habitat for native marine invertebrates, fish, and unique native crustaceans, including three candidate species of endemic anchialine pool shrimp. The property is adjacent to the largest natural area reserve in the entire state and will provide landscape-level protection of the area’s unique ecosystems and habitats. The property will be added to the County of Hawai`i’s Open Space lands where it will be protected and managed for species management in perpetuity,” says a statement from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
      In May, the state Board of Land & Natural Resources passed Legacy Land Funding for the acquisition. The money from the federal and state government will be matched by funds from the county’s Public Access, Open Land and Natural Resources Preservation fund, also known as the Two-Percent Fund. Ownership will be with Hawai`i County.

       The land surrounding Road to the Sea in Kahuku will cost the public $388 per acre to purchase. The Sierra Club stated that the low price makes it “by far the most cost-effective purchase the Legacy Land Conservation could make, and would secure a prized recreational and natural resource for the residents of the Big Island, where recreational resources are generally access-restricted by private landowners.

Green sea turtles that frequent the Ka`u Coast are another reason more
than 3,000 acres at Road to the Sea will be preserved.
Photo by William Neal

      “The site contains many high-quality natural and cultural resources, including anchialine ponds, nesting sites for the endangered Hawksbill turtle, prominent geologic features, one of the state’s largest petroglyph fields, a highly complex cave system with endemic organisms and unique archaeological features. Over 3,127 acres of land, including miles of coastline, are relatively unchanged since pre-western contact in the late 1700s,” says the Sierra Club testimony.
      Numerous other organizations and individuals supported the measure, including Hawai`i Wildlife Fund, which hosts regular cleanups of the Ka`u Coast, and such community members as Jamie Kawauchi and Councilmember Brittany Smart.

Road to the Sea crosses over a parcel of more than 3,000 acres that will be preserved on the Ka`u Coast.

      The Sierra Club also testified that preserving these Kahuku lands will “insure public access to an important fishing and cultural resource.”
      County Council member Brittany Smart said she is pleased with the grant award and grateful to the county Finance Department’s Ken Van Bergen “for his hard work to find matching funds for this parcel’s acquisition. I also want to extend my thanks to the property owners for their commitment to provide public spaces and access.”

VOLCANO HOUSE AND CABINS will reopen “softly,” this Saturday, according to a statement from Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The National Park Service’s director of the Pacific West Region, Christine Lehnertz, signed the 15-year concession contract yesterday between Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and Hawai`i Volcanoes Lodge Company, LLC, a partnership between Honolulu-based Aqua Resorts and mainland-based Ortega National Parks, LLC. According to the new Volcano House general manager George “Jorge” Mangino, the company will hire 50 employees for the hotel.
      Starting Saturday, Volcano House will open daily from 7:45 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Visitors will be able to stay in the park’s A-frame cabins and purchase a limited selection of food, drink and retail items from Volcano House.

Some of Volcano House's cabins at Namakanipaio
Campground are again available for reservations.
Photo from nps.gov/havo

      All ten A-frame cabins at Namakanipaio Campground will open gradually, and reservations can be made by calling 756-9625. Cabins start at $55 per night.
      The new concessioner “not only fulfilled the qualifications required by the National Park Service, they exceeded expectations,” said Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando. “We are delighted to have Hawai`i Volcanoes Lodge Company, LLC as our newest park partner, and look forward to elevating the Volcano House, Namakanipaio Campground, dining experiences and retail opportunities to the next level.”
      Hawai`i Volcanoes Lodge Company, LLC has promised to complete renovations to the cabins and to the historic 32-room hotel, opening in phases over the next 12 months. Improvements to the eight-room annex are scheduled for the first phase, and rooms could open as early as January 2013. The entire renovation project is expected to cost the company between $2.5 million and $3 million. The National Park Service has invested $4 million in seismic and fire upgrades.
      Volcano House overlooks Kilauea caldera and erupting Halema`uma`u. First opened in 1846, Volcano House has a storied history, with many notable guests in its registry, including Mark Twain, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Isabella Bird.
      “Renovation plans for the Volcano House include a strong commitment to sharing Native Hawaiian culture through interpretive experiences including cultural demonstrations, artwork, and handicrafts. Sustainable Hawai`i Island ingredients will be featured in the restaurant and other food and beverage outlets,” the statement from the park says.

KA`U COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN’S steering committee held a quiet and civil meeting last night at Ocean View Community Center. According to county planners, a preliminary draft is complete and being discussed with agencies regarding Natural and Cultural Resources of Ka`u, including Kahakai (coastal), Kula (agricultural) Wao (mauka forest) and Cultural.
      The Community section, including infrastructure, facilities and services; the village character of Pahala, Na`alehu and Wai`ohinu and Repair for Ocean View, Discovery Harbour and Punalu`u are 30 percent complete. The section on the economy, including agriculture, food and energy; local business and visitors is 50 percent complete.
      Examples of sections of the plan were presented, including Possible Natural/Cultural Resource Management Strategies that could be Community-based, Collaborative Actions. These include an inventory of Ka`u’s cultural/historic resources, appropriate historic site/district nominations, acquisition of high priority properties and establishing and managing priority trail segments and sites.
      Extensive information on Ka`u Community Development Plan is available on the CDP website at www.hawaiicountycdp.info/kau-cdp.

Bobby Jean Leithead-Todd

NOMINEES FOR A COUNTY ARBORIST COMMITEE are welcome, according to Planning director Bobbie Jean Leithead-Todd, who spoke at last night’s CDP meeting in Ocean View. The volunteer commission will study and seek to protect important trees around the island. She said some qualified tree experts have stepped up to help out. Nominee names can be provided to the Planning Department at 961-8288. 

A CULTURAL RESOURCE COMMISSION for Hawai`i County is an initiative of Mayor Billy Kenoi, Planning Director Bobby Jean Leithead-Todd said during the CDP meeting in Ocean View last night. She said the commission will study and look toward preserving important archaeological and historic sites, cultural practices and ethnic cultural practices. She said the commission position will “require a lot of reading.” She said the commission could include people with expertise in architecture, archaeology and hands-on experience in historic preservation. She said the commission could work with the state Office of Historic Preservation in nominating sites. For more information, call the Planning Department at 961-8288.

Pahala Library is currently open Monday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

KA`U LIBRARIES became a topic at the Ka`u Community Development Plan meeting last night. Steering committee member Patti Barry said that she is upset with the whittling away of hours at libraries in Ka`u. She called on the community to volunteer to help keep libraries open and noted that Pahala Library hours are being reduced to one day a week.

A NONPROFIT COMMUNITY GARDEN is proposed for land near the county park in Ocean View. Alan Stafford made the proposal on behalf of an organization called HELP, which stands for Hawai`i’s Exchange Labor Program. He said the organization would lease about four acres from Hawai`i County. The garden would have walking trails as community exercise tracks and raised garden beds made from lava rock from the property to make it easy for disabled and elderly people to grow food. There would be on-site soil production from green waste. People volunteering in the garden or for other community projects would trade hours for food produced at the community garden. For more information, call Stafford at 936-4429.

VOLCANO’S RAIN FOREST RUNS are set for Saturday, with opening ceremonies at 6:30 a.m. Half Marathon starts at 7 a.m., 10K at 7:30 a.m., 5K at 7:45 a.m. and Keiki Runs at 10 a.m. All events begin at Cooper Center on Wright Road in Volcano Village and are open to runners and walkers of all ages and abilities. Registration fees range from $35 to $75. Runners can register Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. or at 5:30 a.m. on race day. Contact Sharron Faff at 967-8240 or rainforestruns.com.

Pahala Boys & Girls Club members sang with the governor at his
inauguration event at Pahala Plantation House in 2011.
Photo by Julia Neal

BOY & GIRLS CLUB OF PAHALA presents a community stakeholders event at Pahala Community Center next Wednesday, Aug. 22 at 6 p.m. Families, club members, youth organizations, schools, businesses and anyone who wants to help improve the lives of Ka`u youth are invited. This club wants to find out what programs for youth are needed, what resources are available and what the greatest issues facing youth are. RSVP by calling Dolly Kailiawa at 756-5285. 

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Ka`u News Briefs Aug. 14, 2012

Dominic Yagong is out of the race for mayor but will finish his term as County Council chair. Photo by William Neal

THE MAYOR’S RACE saw incumbent Billy Kenoi and former mayor Harry Kim beating County Council chair Dominic Yagong in all precincts in the Ka`u area during the primary election over the weekend. At Cooper Center in Volcano, Harry Kim earned 283 votes to Billy Kenoi’s 154 and Dominic Yagong’s 51. In Pahala, Billy Kenoi won with 139 votes to Harry Kim’s 48 and Dominic Yagong’s 26. At Na`alehu, Billy Kenoi won 141 votes to Harry Kim’s 80 and Dominic Yagong’s 76. In Ocean View, Billy Kenoi took 135 votes to Harry Kim’s 133 and Dominic Yagong’s 94.
      Billy Kenoi and Harry Kim face a runoff in the general election in November.

Paul Dolan won Volcano and Ocean View, but lost islandwide, leaving a
runoff between Lincoln Ashida and Mitch Roth for County Prosecutor.
Photo by William Neal

IN THE COUNTY PROSECUTOR’S RACE, Volcano saw Paul Dolan with 169 votes, while Mitch Roth took 156 and Lincoln Ashida took 136. At Pahala, Lincoln Ashida took 116 votes, while Paul Dolan took 46 and Mitch Roth 43. At Na`alehu, Lincoln Ashida won 115 votes to Mitch Roth’s 93 and Paul Dolan’s 69. In Ocean View, Paul Dolan won 149 votes, to Lincoln Ashida’s 109 and Mitch Roth’s 94.
       Lincoln Ashida and Mitch Roth face a runoff in the November general election.

THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION has defined the issues it will consider on deciding whether to approve the proposed Hawai`i Electric Light Co. contract to purchase biodiesel/ biofuel from `Aina Koa Pono. `Aina Koa Pono proposes building a refinery along Wood Valley Road over three years with the help of 400 construction workers.   
      `Aina Koa Pono also proposes processing locally harvested trees and other agricultural inputs with a new Microwave Catalytic Depolymerization (Micro Dee) technology as it attempts to develop biofuel crops on pasture and other lands between Pahala and Na`alehu. The fuel would be tanker-trucked to the HELCO power plant near Keahole Airport for use as a substitute for fossil fuel. An additional eight million gallons a year in biofuel would be sold to a mainland-based company that would first try to sell it in Hawai`i, according to statements from `Aina Koa Pono.

PUC chair Mina Morita

      The proposal before the PUC projects increasing electric rates $1 per month for the average household. Last year the `Aina Koa Pono project projected raising electric rates an average of $2 per monthly household bill, and the PUC rejected the plan as “unreasonable” for the ratepayer.
       An Aug. 9 statement from PUC chair Mina Morita and commissioners Michael E. Champley and Lorraine H. Akiba, along with PUC attorney Michael Azama, says that regarding the new proposed contract, the PUC will consider:
       “Whether the commission should approve as reasonable and consistent with the public interest the Biodiesel Supply Contract for approximately sixteen million net United States gallons annually of locally produced biodiesel over twenty years, and the related contract costs, including the biodiesel transportation, and storage costs, and related taxes.
       “Whether the commission should approve as just and reasonable the establishment of a Biofuel Surcharge Provision that will permit HELCO to pass through the differential between the cost of the biofuel and the cost of the fossil fuel that the biofuel is replacing, in the event the cost of the biofuel is higher than the cost of the fossil fuel, over the customer base of HELCO and HECO, based on kilowatt-hour usage.”
       The PUC says it will determine “what ratepayer risks should the commission consider in evaluating the Biodiesel Supply Contract. What quantitative or qualitative values should be assigned to such risks.
       “To what extent, if any, will utility customers assume any economic risks, if the biofuel is not truly a ‘drop-in diesel’ or a substitute fuel or in the event that HELCO’s Keahole power plant must be subsequently modified, or operations altered, to accommodate biofuels.”

HELCO president Jay Ignacio explained the `Aina Koa Pono proposal in
January of 2011. Photo by Julia Neal

      The PUC also asks: “To what extent should utility customers be required to provide financial assurances for indigenous biofuel development, and if so, under what terms and conditions. Are there any additional investment and operating costs associated with converting a portion, or all, of the Keahole power plant to utilize liquid biofuel. This could include, but not be limited to, additional fuel delivery infrastructure, environmental compliance modifications and plant operation and maintenance requirements.”
       The PUC asks: “To what extent should traditional generator economic dispatch or short-term/long-term avoided cost methodologies be modified in order to accommodate or reflect the conversion of existing fossil-fuel generators to utilize indigenous or imported biofuels.”
       The statement says the PUC intends to review, “the electric utility’s ability to meet its applicable renewable portfolio standards in the event that the Microwave Catalytic Depolymerization technology is proven unsuccessful in producing biofuels on a commercial operations basis;
       “Whether the failure of the Microwave Catalytic Depolymerization technology on a commercial operation basis to produce biodiesel that meets the contracted for fuel specifications should constitute an event or circumstance that is beyond or outside of the electric utility’s reasonable control in the event that the utility is unable to meet its applicable renewable portfolio standards.”
       The proposed contract and PUC statement are available at puc.hawaii.gov. To access it and other related documents, click on Document Management System (DMS) and enter 2012-0185 in the Docket Quick Link box. When the docket opens, click on Documents.
       Comments, with Docket 2012-0185 referenced, can be sent to Public Utilities Commission, 465 South King Street, #103, Honolulu, HI 96813; faxed to 808-586-2066; or emailed to hawaii.puc@hawaii.gov.

Hydrogen for transportation and other energy uses
is proposed by H2 Technologies,

HYDROGEN CARS AND SCOOTERS, which are quiet and have no emissions, could be one of the low-cost transportation fuels in the future, according to H2 Technologies, of the Big Island, and Asia Pacific Fuel Cell Technologies, of Taiwan. The technology, stemming from the research of Dr. John Allen of the University of Hawai`i Engineering Department, uses sonochemistry. It was shown at the Asia Pacific Clean Energy Summit and Expo at Hawai`i Convention Center on O`ahu yesterday. H2 is partnering with Asia Pacific Fuel cell Technologies of Taiwan to bring in hydrogen fuel –cell scooters, according to a Sophie Cocke story in Civil Beat. She reports that the Taiwanese government is using the hydrogen scooters as fleet vehicles.
       Hawai`i has about 15,000 electric and hybrid vehicles on the road. The hydrogen vehicles are seen as tying into the growth of geothermal energy on this island, as hydrogen is a byproduct of the process. Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and the County of Hawai`i have engaged hydrogen buses in plans to reduce use of fossil fuel.
       “General Motors announced that it planned to make Hawai`i the test bed for its hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, which are supposed to be unveiled in 2015,” the Civil Beat story says. See more at www.civilbeat.com.

THE PUBLIC IS INVITED to Ka`u Community Development Plan Steering Committee meeting today at 5:30 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center. Agenda items include an update on progress of the draft CDP, updates on initiatives in Ocean View, recommendations to the Planning director regarding forecasted CDP project expenses for the 2013-2014 County budget and Sunshine Law amendments. The agenda does not include the following topics, which, according to planner Ron Whitmore, will not be discussed: Kahuku Village, Pohue Bay, Ocean View Water System, Ocean View Transfer Station, Agricultural Water Co-ops, National Park Service Shoreline Study, Kawa Stewardship Plan, Kawa Drainage EA, `Aina Koa Pono Biofuels Facility, Ka`u District Emergency Shelter and Gym and Ka`u Forest Reserve Environmental Assessment.
      For more information, contact Whitmore at 961-8137 or rwhitmore@co.hawaii.hi.us.

DIANA AKI offers a free concert at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. Park entrance fees apply.

HA`AO SPRINGS & MOUNTAIN HOUSE Ag Water Co-op meets Thursday at 2:30 p.m. at Wai`ohinu Park. Anyone interested in restoration of ag water to the area is invited.

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