Ka`u News Briefs Sept. 26, 2012

Land would be cleared of invasive trees, shrubs and plants. Some would be replaced with biofuel crops
to feed `Aina Koa Pono's proposed diesel refinery.  Photo by Julia Neal

`AINA KOA PONO PARTNER CHRIS ELDRIDGE released an opinion piece today to the media headlined `Aina Koa Pono Outlines Benefits to Ka`u. Eldridge is a partner and on the management team of `Aina Koa Pono. He has 20 years of entrepreneurial and start-up experience, founding four companies including America’s Mattress and PortaBox Storage. Eldridge serves on the Board of Kapi`olani Medical Center for Women and Children and is a member of The Nature Conservancy of Hawai`i’s Corporate Council for the Environment, the press release notes.

      Edridge writes that the `Aina Koa Pono refinery, which is planned near Wood Valley Road above Pahala, “will fuel 18 percent of Hawai`i Island’s electricity needs and produce a transportation fuel."
       Eldridge says, “AKP’s biofuels project will bring hundreds of jobs to Hawai`i County, replace imported fossil fuel-based diesel at the Keahole power plant, and add eight million gallons of transportation biodiesel a year. Eldridge contends, “Importantly, it will not impede other renewable energy projects.”

      He states that, with `Aina Koa Pono on board, “Hawai`i’s reputation as a renewable energy incubator will be enhanced by the cutting-edge technology AKP has licensed. The microwave catalytic depolymerization (Micro Dee) takes biomass (in the case of the Ka`u facility, locally grown feedstock) and accelerates the natural process of converting it to oil to just over an hour.”

A Micro Dee unit in North Wilkesboro, NC is the prototype
for `Aina Koa Pono's equipment to be used at its proposed
refinery in Ka`u. Photo from biofuels-solutions.com

      Eldridge promises that “the technology is safe and is not new—it’s been used in herbal extractions and pharmaceuticals for years. Using higher temperatures and a catalyst, it produces a biofuel. The 900-ton-a-day operation will be modular—each microwave handling 33 tons. Once the first unit is tested and accepted, it will be set it up at Ka`u so it can run in place and give the community the opportunity to see its operation.”
      Eldridge writes that “the acreage AKP has leased for crop production will enhance the island’s agriculture industry. A first step will be to clear invasive species and use them as feedstock.”
      He makes a promise that “building `Aina Koa Pono’s project will employ 400 and increase badly needed construction jobs by 13 percent on Hawai‘i Island. These jobs have been cut in half to 3,000 since 2007, economist Leroy Laney, PhD reported in August for First Hawaiian Bank.
      “When the facility is operational, there will be 200 permanent jobs, positively impacting Hawai`i Island’s 8.8 percent unemployment rate, which in May was 2.5 points higher than the state’s average (6.3 percent).

      “AKP will generate nearly $200 million in general excise and payroll taxes over 22 years, compared to $2.2 million if the same fuel is imported,” Eldridge writes. He says the economy will be further helped: “Dollars paid for services and salaries will re-circulate— buying groceries and school supplies instead of being sent to foreign oil producers. Once operating, AKP will contribute $250,000 a year to Hawai`i Island in community benefits focused on education and the environment. An immediate contribution will help fund preservation of books at the Pahala library.
      “Other renewable energy projects won’t be affected by AKP, which will replace imported fossil fuel at Hawai`i Electric Light Company’s Keahole power plant. It is fact, not opinion, that liquid fuel will be needed at Keahole for many years to come," states Edlridge. 

      Eldridge reports that “estimates are that additional geothermal power would take seven to 10 years to develop, as HELCO gears up to issue a request for proposals, probably next year.
      “In the meantime, AKP will supply virtually 100 percent of Keahole’s needs with 16 million gallons of biodiesel a year. Should the utility no longer need it at Keahole, it can transport the fuel to another plant, including on O`ahu or use it for transportation.

Meyer Camp Road, between Pahala and Wood Valley, is where `Aina Koa
Pono plans to build their more than ten-acre biofuel refinery.
Photo by Julia Neal 

      “The private investors who will put up approximately $450 million for the project assume the risk—not the utility.
      “The eight million gallons of biofuel produced annually will be distributed by Mansfield Oil Company, with preference to Hawai`i. If sold here it would represent 16 percent of Hawai`i’s transportation diesel demand based on the 2011 data of the Federal Highway Administration,” Eldridge predicts, saying, “Mansfield is an industry leader in fuel handling and distribution and will handle all the fuel logistics from the Ka`u facility.”
      Eldridge defends the proposed rate hikes that HELCO and `Aina Koa Pono are proposing to the Public Utilities Commission. “Yes, there is a cost— electric bills will be higher for a while—a dollar or less for a typical monthly 500 to 600 KWH user. That would change as the price of fossil climbs beyond the biodiesel. We cannot say how long that will be; we can say that since 2009 oil has trended upward, from about $40 to more than $116 a barrel. With worldwide demand growing and supplies at risk, it is likely that trend will continue.”
      He defends HELCO and `Aina Koa Pono fixing the diesel price from the proposed refinery for 20 years: “AKP’s 20-year fixed-price contract with HELCO makes the cost of energy more stable and predictable. Sudden increases in oil prices will have less budgetary and economic impacts on business and government.”
      Eldridge invites the public to “investigate www.ainakoapono.com to learn more about `Aina Koa Pono. Contact us through the site if you have questions, which we will try our best to answer. We believe AKP is a win/win/win for Hawai`i — jobs, sustainability and community benefits.”
      The contract between HELCO and `Aina Koa Pono, along with other related documents and public testimony, is available online at puc.hawaii.gov/dockets. Docket number is 2012-0185.

AN INVITATION TO THE KA`U DISTRICT GYM and Shelter groundbreaking was issued by the State of Hawai`i Department of Education and the County of Hawai`i today. It says the Ka`u District Gym and Shelter will be a 43,000-square-foot structure with three basketball and volleyball courts, a kitchen, offices, locker rooms, storage space for disaster relief organizations and meeting spaces. “The facility will provide a safe haven for Ka`u residents in the case of a natural disaster or compromised air quality,” says a flyer for the event. The project is funded by the state of Hawai`i and will be cooperatively managed by the County Department of Parks and Recreation for both school and public use. For more information and to RSVP, call the Office of Mayor Billy Kenoi in Hilo at 961-8211 or email tigionson@hawaii.gov.us. 

HAZEL BECK, of Hawai`i Small Business Development Center, teaches how to write a business plan tomorrow from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Na`alehu Community Center. Registration begins at 9 a.m.

RESIDENTS INTERESTED IN JOINING the newly incorporated Ha`ao Springs & Mountain House Ag Water Co-op are encouraged to attend the meeting tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. at Wai`ohinu Park. The co-op is looking for members to help survey and GPS the proposed water line route, organize a membership outreach meeting at Na`alehu Community Center and begin research and exploration of water use rules. For more information, contact Alison Yahna at beeoracle@hotmail.com.

ARTISTS ARE INVITED TO ENTER Ka`u Chamber of Commerce’s art show and Directory 2013 art contest. Entries are accepted Friday from noon until 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at CU Hawai`i credit union in Na`alehu. 

      Categories are Graphic, Sculpture, Wood, Photography and Craft, and all pieces must have been completed in the last 12 months. The fee is $5 for each artwork.
      A Keiki Division is for children in grades one through six, one entry per keiki. Keiki categories are Graphics and Photography, no larger than 8.5 by 11 inches, including frames, if any. The entry fee is $1, and these entries are not eligible for the cover of The Directory 2013. Only the first 60 Keiki exhibits will be accepted.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Ka`u News Briefs Sept. 25, 2012

Groundbreaking for the Ka`u Gym & Shelter in Pahala is set for Wednesday, Oct. 3 at 9 a.m. The public is invited.

THE PUBLIC IS INVITED to the groundbreaking for the new Ka`u disaster shelter & gymnasium at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 3. In attendance will be Gov. Neil Abercrombie, Sen. Gil Kahele, Rep. Bob Herkes, Mayor Billy Kenoi, Councilmember Brittany Smart, county Department of Parks & Recreation chief Bob Fitzgerald and Public Works chief Warren Lee. Also onsite will be contractor Summit Construction, Inc. President Jack Parker, Project Superintendent Kenneth Petrisko, Project Manager Melvin Inouye and Project Engineer Rex Tajiri. Also attending is Aaron Fujii, of design and engineering company Mitsunaga & Associates. Superintendent of Schools for Ka`u, Kea`au and Pahoa, Mary Correa, also plans to attend, along with representatives of Ka`u High & Elementary School.
      Invited are children on break, teachers, parents and the general public, who will also be able to use the new gym and recreational center. Light refreshments will be served. The regional shelter will be available to all citizens during disasters. Some of the rooms are expected to have air-cleaning systems to shelter sensitive people during bad air days. The facility will include a gymnasium that will allow multiple active playing courts, workout rooms, locker rooms weight room, offices, certified kitchen and the ability to turn the facility into and events venue with a stage. The contract to build the complex is more than $17 million.

Lincoln Ashida

LINCOLN ASHIDA AND MITCH ROTH debated at University of Hawai`i over the weekend as they campaign toward their runoff to become the next Prosecuting Attorney in the Nov. 6 election. According to a Nancy Cook Lauer story in the West Hawai`i Today, Roth focused on his approach of working with communities to prevent crimes and round up the few people who commit the majority of offenses. The story quotes Roth saying, “Think smarter, not just tougher,” and leave prisons open for serious offenders. 

      Ashida also talked about tracking down the 20 percent of offenders who commit 80 percent of crimes, the West Hawai`i Today story reports. “We’re not just talking about programs that reduce crimes in our neighborhoods,” said Ashida. “It’s about arresting those responsible and putting them in prison. It’s about community protection.”

Mitch Roth

      According to the story, Roth put forth that “a community-oriented prosecution plan that closes down drug houses, prevents driving under the influence through education and employs devices such as ignition interlock systems and GPS ankle bracelets is the best approach.”
      West Hawai`i Today reports Roth saying, “It’s all of our responsibilities. You can reduce the amount of burglaries through community programs,” pointing to his Ocean View and Puna programs. “If your only tool is a hammer, all your problems are nails. We just can’t look and say the only thing we’re going to do as prosecutor is prosecute cases,” said Roth. According to the story, Ashida called for more prison space, pointing to the planned reopening of Kulani Correctional Facility between Hilo and Volcano. He said more prison space could protect the community by getting dangerous criminals off the street. See more at www.westhawaiitoday.com.

Ken Nishiyama Atha

HAWAI`I’S WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY enforcement capacity could come back to federally compliant levels with a new agreement between Gov. Neil Abercrombie and U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration regional administrator Ken Nishiyama Atha. The agreement outlines how OSHA and the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations’ Hawai`i Occupational Safety and Health Division will collaborate to meet safety and health goals and enforce safe and healthful working conditions for Hawai`i’s workers.
      The governor said that the HIOSH enforcement capacity was diminished when former Gov. Linda Lingle’s administration eliminated 32 of 51 HIOSH positions during the 2009 Reduction-in-Force process. In fiscal year 2009, HIOSH completed only 426 inspections, or 51 percent of its goal of 835 inspections.
      “We reached out proactively to OSHA to identify a solution toward restoring these important enforcement positions, and the progress we have made since 2010 was reassuring to our federal counterparts and demonstrated that Hawai`i is serious about workplace health and safety,” Abercrombie said. “Since I took office, my administration has achieved the minimum staffing required by OSHA.”
OSHA regional administrator Atha signed the agreement on behalf of federal OSHA.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie

      Highlights of the agreement include:
* Supplementary financial support for HIOSH;
* Additional mandatory training opportunities, including bringing more training programs to Hawai`i and providing priority placement for HIOSH staff;
* Assistance from OSHA in developing a training plan for the HIOSH staff – including supervisory development;
* Additional mentoring opportunities for HIOSH staff from more experienced federal inspectors;
* OSHA assistance to develop compliance assistance programs.
      Half of the 32 positions eliminated by the 2009 RIF were benchmarked positions that contributed to meeting necessary OSHA staffing requirements. OSHA requires the state to have 22 specific positions in compliance and consultation.
      Only 12 of the 22 benchmarked positions were authorized in the state’s Executive Budget, and only 10 of the 12 positions were filled. The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations oversees HIOSH. Its director, Dwight Takamine, has been working with federal officials since to ensure that the state meets federal standards.
       “Let’s not forget that safety is also good economics,” Abercrombie said. “When injuries and deaths are prevented, workers compensation costs and additional training costs for new employees go down for employers.”
      Hawai`i is one of 27 states and territories currently operating state worker safety plans. Most states, including Hawai`i, provide free onsite consultation to help employers identify and correct workplace hazards.

HAZEL BECK, of Hawai`i Small Business Development Center, teaches how to write a business plan Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Na`alehu Community Center. Pre-registration is recommended. Contact Jackie Muller at 327-3680 or jacqueline.muller@hisbdc.org.

THE NEWLY INCORPORATED Ha`ao Springs & Mountain House Ag Water Co-op meets Thursday at 2:30 p.m. at Wai`ohinu Park. The co-op is looking for members to help survey and GPS the proposed water line route, organize a membership outreach meeting at Na`alehu Community Center and begin research and exploration of water use rules. Contact Alison Yahna at beeoracle@hotmail.com for more information. 

THE 2ND ANNUAL KA`U PLANTATION DAYS event is coming up on Saturday, Oct. 6 on the grounds of and inside Pahala Plantation House. The celebration of what organizers call “what we had and what we have” begins with a parade of pa`u riders and cane trucks down Pikake Street at 9 a.m. Photos and memorabilia are on display until 3 p.m., along with booths featuring ethnic food. There will also be music and dance. For more information, contact Lynn Hamilton at 928-0303 or lynnbybay@aol.com.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.

Ka`u News Briefs Sept. 24, 2012

Linda Lingle, the only speaker at the forum for U.S. Senate candidates yesterday, introduced by Sherry Bracken
Photo by Andy Smith

REPUBLICAN LINDA LINGLE, FORMER HAWAI`I GOVERNOR, had the floor to herself yesterday during the forum for candidates vying to take the seat of U.S. Sen. Dan Akaka, who is retiring. Sherry Bracken, moderator of the event, said that Democratic contender Mazie Hirono, on Sept. 20, declined to attend, stating a scheduling conflict. Lingle’s website states, “It’s a shame Mazie Hirono has decided she doesn’t care enough about her own constituents to attend a single neighbor island forum, but we don’t have time to let her get her priorities straight. There is no time left in this election for posturing, and with the fiscal cliff our country is facing, we can’t afford her partisan gamesmanship any longer either – we need real leadership, real bipartisanship, in the U.S. Senate to solve these challenges we face together.”

Sherry Bracken, at right, moderated the candidate forum in Kona
yesterday, sponsored by Rotary. Photo by Andy Smith

      Hirono, however, has met with constituents on the Big Island, including a talk story at Kilauea Lodge and numerous other venues.

      Bracken yesterday facilitated Lingle answering 20 questions from the audience and talking story with attendees at Kealakehe High School. The forum was sponsored by Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce, Kohala Coast Resort Association, Hawai`i Island Board of Realtors, West Hawai`i Today, Mahalo Broadcasting, LAVA 105.3fm, Hawai`i 247.com, Rotary of Kona and Kealakehe High School.
      According to Carolyn Lucas’ report in West Hawai`i Today and bigislandnewscenter.com, “The hour-and-a-half-long event featured a variety of topics, including how Lingle would deal with anti-American sentiments and her thoughts on term limits, furloughs and the calling for a constitutional amendment banning abortion.” Lucas writes that a “top priority for Lingle is getting a subcommittee on tourism created in the U.S. Senate. She called not having such a subcommittee on an important industry that employs millions of people ‘a gross oversight.’ She envisions chairing the subcommittee, helping streamlining the visa process and supporting measures that attract and keep businesses strong,” writes Lucas.

Linda Lingle

      Lucas reports that “other priorities included making sure the U.S. Pacific Command is well funded and staffed strongly, eliminating tax loopholes and special tax treatment that resulted in $1.1 trillion a year in revenue loss to the federal government and simplifying the tax code.
      “Lingle favors bringing down the corporate tax rate from 39 percent to something more reasonable, such as 20 to 25 percent. However, she would still retain deductions, such as the mortgage interest and charitable contributions. Lingle also said she would cut the regulations that ‘strangle’ the business community, as well as require a jobs impact statement that would accompany every new federal rule and regulation. The jobs impact statement would allegedly provide the public greater understanding of the risk the proposed rule would present for jobs and the overall economy, she added.”
Lucas writes in West Hawai`i Today that “When it comes to Medicare, Lingle shared her support and enthusiasm for an idea recommended by the Bipartisan Policy Center, a national policy and advocacy think tank. She revealed she’s one of six founding members of the center’s governors’ council, and she favors preserving traditional Medicare but also offering seniors in Medicare a premium-support payment they could use to purchase private insurance as an option. Lingle said private health plans would be chosen from those who meet the minimum requirements and be from regulated exchanges. She also stressed there would be regulations preventing cherry picking of the healthiest seniors. She thinks this private option would increase competition, lower costs and best contain Medicare’s growth,” Lucas reports.

The candidate forum at Kealakehe High School gave Linda Lingle an
uncontested opportunity to talk to the public. Photo by Andy Smith

      Lucas also observes that “Lingle repeatedly focused on her bipartisan approach to national problems and ending the gridlock in Washington, D.C., her commitment to putting Hawai`i’s people first and possessing an understanding of the important issues facing neighbor island communities and her ability to make tough decisions. She said she can best articulate Hawai`i’s needs, including why money spent on the Big Island is in the country’s best interests. She pledged to not be held to the Republican Party and not go to work for the next president. Instead, she expressed her duty to propose and support legislation that’s good for Hawai`i. She said she wants to be more like Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, ‘who votes 62 percent with the party,’ and ‘doesn’t vote based on whose idea it was, but who benefits.”’
      Lucas writes that “Lingle claimed the skills she gained as Hawai`i governor from 2002 to 2010, including confronting and managing the state’s economic crisis by closing an almost $3 billion deficit in 18 months without increasing taxes and while maintaining a “AA” bond rating. She also touted her win of the majority of votes in all of Hawai`i’s 51 House Districts during her 2006 re-election campaign — something that she believes shows a trust and proves her ability to work across party lines.”

      See more on the elections and the candidates at www.westhawaiitoday.com and www.bigislandnewscenter.com.

HAWAI`I’S BIG ISLAND FILM FESTIVAL is taking entries for the 2013 event set for May 23-27 at the Fairmont Orchid. 

      “A celebration of narrative filmmaking in inspiring Hawai`i Island settings, BIFF includes screenings, social events and networking opportunities, celebrity receptions, screenwriting workshops and more,” says a statement from organizers.

Big Island Film Festival is now accepting entries for its 2013 event.
Photo from bigislandfilmfestival.com

      A Golden Honu will be awarded to the Best Feature and Best Short in Family, Student, Animated, Foreign, Hawai`i and Audience Choice. Numerous films shown over the last seven years of the festival have won awards at prestigious film festivals around the world and achieved commercial success in the industry.
      Among them are the made-in-Hawai`i comedy Get A Job, which was screened in Spain during the Marbella Film Festival and numerous other festivals around the world. It is currently shown in Hawai`i theaters, prior to mainstream DVD release this fall. 2012 films Searching for Sonny, Qwerty, The Italian Key and numerous others have enjoyed success on film festival circuits, as have 2011’s The Dead Inside and Uncle Melvin’s Apartment. The Drummond Will has been acquired by House Lights Media Partners for Theatrical and Non-Theatrical North American distribution.
      Deadlines to submit films are Nov. 1 for discounted entry fees; Jan. 1, 2013 for regular entry fee; and Feb. 1 with late, higher entry fees.
      Film Festival executive director Leo Sears said that, thanks to “our wonderful audiences, filmmaker family and supporters, we’re able to bring a little bit of the ‘Sundance’ experience to Hawai`i. For more, call 883-0394. See bigislandfilmfestivalcom.

TOMORROW IS THE DEADLINE for Ka`u fifth-grade girls to sign up for GEMS, the American Association of University Women’s Girls Exploring Math & Science event on Thursday, Nov. 15 at Sheraton Kona Resort and Spa at Keauhou Bay. At the event, women from the community introduce their occupations and show how they use math and science in their daily work. The program is designed to stimulate interest and bolster confidence of girls in traditionally male-dominated fields. For more, contact GEMS chairperson Cindy Armer at cbarmer@hotmail.com.

WRITING A BUSINESS PLAN is the topic of a workshop Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Na`alehu Community Center. Hazel Beck, of Hawai`i Small Business Development Center, teaches what it takes to get a business started. Pre-registration is recommended. Contact Jackie Muller at 327-3680 or jacqueline.muller@hisbdc.org.

A vessel by Tim Freeman. Photos from Volcano Art Center

VOLCANO ART CENTER has two group exhibits opening on Saturday. At the new Rainforest Gallery at Ni`aulani in Volcano Village, works made of clay, wood, metal and canvas depict the elements of earth, fire, air and water through representational or impressionistic means.

      This group exhibit, entitled The Elemental: Setting Forth Various Elements Through Transfigurement Into Shining, features artists Clayton Amemiya, Henry Bianchini, Kevin Diminyatz, Stephen Freedman, Tim Freeman, Stephen Lang, Chiu Leong, Monika Mann, Michael Marshall, William McKnight, Elizabeth Miller, Jerilee Negrillo, Alan Ohara, Susumu Sakaguchi, Randy Shiroma, Randy Takaki, Kaori Ukaji and Glenn Yamanoha.
      Rainforest Gallery hours are 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For showings outside of gallery hours, call for an appointment at 967-8222.

A work by Amy Flanders in Tiny Treasures.

      Tiny Treasures, an invitational jewelry exhibition at Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, features works of fine art, craft and jewelry designs from a diverse collection of Hawai`i artists including J. Bennett, Danielle Bolton, Brenda May Ching, Daniel E. Rokovitz, Amy Flanders, Patricia Larsen-Goodin, Wayne Keeth, Jessica Landau, Stone O’Daugherty, Pat Pearlman, Tad Sewell, Stacey Siegel, Jamie Stokes and Candice Wakumoto. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For more information, visit volcanoartcenter.org, call 967-7565 or email gallery@volcanoartcenter.org.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM. KA`U COFFEE MILL IS NOW OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.

ALSO SEE KAUCALENDAR.COM AND FACEBOOK.COM/KAUCALENDAR.