Ka`u News Briefs May 19, 2013

County of Hawai`i, responding to a question posed by the state Consumer Advocate regarding the `Aina Koa Pono
biofuels project, said, "There is no longer a need to rush any renewable fuels project that comes along."
Photo from ainakoapono.com

FORMER STATE REP. DAVID TARNAS is the new chair of the Democratic Party of Hawai`i County. Tarnas was elected during the organization’s annual convention yesterday at Volcano Art Center’s Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village. 

      “My main goal is to facilitate communication among party members, party officials and elected officials,” Tarnas said, according to a Stephens Media story by Nancy Cook Lauer. “My goal is to grow the party and to increase public participation in the political process.”
       Tarnas replaces Steve Pavao, who stepped down after serving as chair for four years.
      Gov. Neil Abercrombie, Sen. Brian Schatz and Rep. Colleen Hanabusa were among those attending.

      See more at hawaiitribune-herald.com.

“THERE IS NO LONGER A NEED TO RUSH any renewable fuels project that comes along,” according to a response from the County of Hawai`i to a question posed by the state Consumer Advocate regarding the county’s testimony on the proposed contract for `Aina Koa Pono to sell biofuel refined above Pahala from biomass grown in Ka`u to Hawai`i Electric Light Co. The Consumer Advocate asked the county “what (price) premium might be reasonable to consider for approval in order to further the state’s migration away from imported petroleum.” 

      “At a 40 percent and higher level of renewable energy generation, the Big Island has met and exceeded its stated obligations for renewable energy,” the county responded. “This provides an opportunity to provide great service to the rest of the state as well as to the nation by shifting focus to concentrate on good biofuels projects that deliver economic advantages to Hawai`i’s people.
      “The Big Island can move sanely forward to demonstrate a high level of sophistication in the renewable energy field by being selective and insisting that all future projects demonstrate improved economics for the ratepayers through lower electricity costs.

      “In fact, the Big Island is ready to be the proving ground for both renewable and cost-effective transportation and power generation – if given enough time and proper breathing-room. Only through strict adherence to this requirement will economically sustainable projects be developed. Demonstrating that costs can be reduced in the current, high-priced utility markets of Hawai`i is but the first step in demonstrating that such projects will also be economically sustainable in much bigger, lower cost markets – whether on the mainland or elsewhere. Projects that perpetuate or increase costs in the current Hawai`i environment will not be competitive elsewhere – and hence will fail. They will fail as businesses and as enterprises that seek to meaningfully address global energy concerns such as greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. A project that increases costs for Hawai`i ratepayers therefore serves no one: it neither lowers rates for Hawai`i’s long-suffering ratepayers, nor does it demonstrate economically useful technology for other markets and for global improvement. 

      “As a result, the appropriate (price) premium for this, or any other project, is negative. The respectful request is made that the state consider, as a matter of policy, that new projects benefit Hawaiian ratepayers by meeting the following criteria:

1. They provide real discounts in electricity prices; 
2. They are priced according to underlying economic fundamentals (rather than avoided petroleum costs); and 
3. They seek to continually reduce underlying marginal production costs – and hence consumer prices – through ‘experience curve’ effects and other continuing efficiencies to production. 

      According to Hawai`i County, “the Consumer Advocate’s question does raise an important strategic policy issue for the state – one that continues to be widely accepted as a matter of faith based on understandable concerns and well-intentioned policy. State law, the Hawai`i Clean Energy Initiative, the Hawai`i Bioenergy Master Plan, federal agency determinations and other stated policies declare that energy ‘security’ and ‘self-sufficiency’ are the highest priority objectives for state policy, and that these concerns justify consumer price premiums.

      “These are understandable and legitimate concerns for an island that is as far removed from large continents as any population center on the planet, especially when people are subject to risks of natural disasters (hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes) and political shocks (war, volatility in petroleum prices). Development of biofuels and renewable energy has made great strides on the islands and globally, and many talented and intelligent people have devoted significant brainpower and investment to energy policies as they pertain to the Islands. Given the tremendous progress that has been made, it is a good time to re-evaluate implications of these policy objectives based on what has been learned. Should it choose to do so, the Commission is in an excellent position to consider such a re-examination as it evaluates this docket. 

      “The first question is: what are the implications of self-sufficiency and energy independence as primary policy objectives, and do they make sense at the state level, considering their vast economic ramifications. Security issues are indeed of concern.
      In the event of a natural disaster, what goods and services are most important to the people and what will be most at risk? One might consider that food, water and medical supplies are probably the highest priority. Fuel and energy are also important, yet which of these will be of foremost importance in an emergency? If a natural disaster wipes out major fuel importation ports, what is the likelihood that on-island feedstocks, biofuel generation plants, and/or electricity generation stations will also be wiped out? Does on-island fuel self-sufficiency really produce greater security? In the event of such an on-islands catastrophe, will it be faster to restore a damaged port or the multiple facilities that are each critical links for an on-island fuel supply chain? Must each island be self-sufficient in energy in the event that ports are damaged? If the repair of disrupted ports is the gating factor to restoring fuels supplies, then does it matter whether the fuels that are subsequently brought in come from another island or the mainland? What is at greater risk in the event of a catastrophe: on-island crops and fuel/power generation facilities, or shipping lanes bringing fuel that can be sourced throughout the world? These questions deserve greater re-examination. The answer could be that ‘self-sufficiency’ is not necessarily and inextricably hard-wired to ‘security,’ and that a mixed supply approach (some on-island, some off) could be the optimal mix to minimize citizen risks from a major catastrophe.”
      More testimony will be covered in future Ka`u News Briefs. All testimony is available at puc.hawaii.gov.

Ka`u High's Marley Strand Nicolaisen has been chosen for
a $1,500 Roy Fujimoto Athletic Scholarship.
Photo by Tim Wright

KA`U HIGH’S MARLEY STRAND-NICOLAISEN is one of four recipients of the 11th annual Roy Fujimoto Athletic Scholarships. Senior student-athletes are chosen for the scholarships based on their athletic and academic achievement and community service. 

      Strand-Nicolaisen participated in volleyball, track and field and soccer at Ka`u High. This year, she led the Trojan girls volleyball team to the BIIF title and to the state tournament. She also was selected for the All-BIIF first team three times and twice received Division II Player of the Year honors. 

      She was also selected for All-BIIF first team three times in track. This year, she took first place in high jump, long jump and triple jump. At the state meet on O`ahu, she took second place three times. 

      Strand-Nicolaisen plans to attend University of Hawai`i – Hilo, where she will major in biology and play volleyball for the Vulcans.

Hilo-style lei adorn hula dancers' wrists
and necks. Photo from NPS

HAWAI`I COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT holds a community meeting Tuesday from noon to 2 p.m. at Na`alehu Community Center. The purpose of the meeting is to allow the public to meet the Police Department’s command staff and to discuss concerns with the police chief and commanders who oversee police operations in Ka`u. 

     To aid police commanders in focusing on specific concerns, it is requested that participation be limited to persons who live or work in the Ka`u District.
      Those interested in participating but unable to attend may call Captain Andrew Burian at 939-2520, stop by the Ka`u police station in Na`alehu or e-mail their concerns or comments to copsysop@hawaiipolice.com.

MALIA MACABIO AND AMY KAAWALOA demonstrate how to make the Hilo style of lei Wednesday from 10 a.m. 2 p.m. on Kilauea Visitor Center’s lanai in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Hilo-style is made by twisting two strands of ti leaves together. Hula dancers use lei la`i (ti leaf lei) to adorn their wrists and necks. Part of Hawai`i Volcanoes’ ongoing `Ike Hana No`eau: Experience the Skillful Work workshops. 

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

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Ka`u News Briefs May 18, 2013

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reminds sightseers to beware of volcanic hazards when visiting Kilauea's
ocean entry points. Photo from USGS/HVO

IN ITS LATEST VOLCANO WATCH, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory warns the public about risky actions at Kilauea’s ocean entry. The article says that Hawai`i residents and visitors – as individuals and in groups – put themselves at risk by approaching the current ocean entry too closely, both by land and by sea. The article cites a recent example of kayakers who paddled just feet from lava streaming into the ocean. Then, further risking their lives, they went ashore, walking across new land built by the ocean entry and scooping molten lava with their paddles. “Their actions were unsafe and cause for grave concern – not to mention, culturally insensitive,” the article states.

People who journey onto lava deltas put themselves at
great risk, warns HVO. Photo from USGS/HVO

      The article describes volcanic hazards: “Lava entering the sea builds a platform of new land known as a lava delta. This new land appears deceptively stable, but the veneer of lava on its surface hides a foundation of loose rubble. Consequently, lava deltas are extremely unstable, and they can – and do – collapse without warning. Kilauea’s largest delta collapse sent 44 acres of new land plummeting into the ocean. But a collapse of only one square yard can be deadly. 

      “When lava deltas collapse, the mix of lava and seawater generates steam-driven explosions that blast fragments of molten lava and blocks of hot rock hundreds of yards – both inland and seaward. Rocks the size of a small file cabinet have been hurled 330 yards, with fist-sized rocks thrown as far as one-quarter mile.”
      Based on decades of experience observing ocean entries and the consequences of lava delta collapses, HVO advises people to stay one-quarter mile away from where lava enters the sea. “With due diligence, you can safely witness lava entering the sea. Know the hazards. Keep a safe distance from the ocean entry. And, above all, do not be misguided by the risky actions of others,” the article states.
      See more at hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch.

THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION has received responses to questions posed by the state Consumer Advocate to Hawai`i County regarding testimony on the proposed contract for `Aina Koa Pono to sell biofuel refined above Pahala from biomass grown in Ka`u to Hawai`i Electric Light Co.
      The Consumer Advocate questioned Hawai`i County about its energy coordinator William Rolston’s statement that “committing to a twenty-year supply contract that represents the largest contract for biodiesel on this Island … effectively crowds out alternative, potentially more cost-effective and more proven biofuels technologies; ultimately undermining the future for the Island.”

      The Consumer Advocate asked the county to identify the other more cost-effective and more proven biofuel technology alternatives that Rolston is referring to in the above statement. 

      In its response, the county gives examples of what it says are “companies that have developed or are developing technologies in these areas that are more advanced in their development cycle (hence, ‘more proven’) and that promise to deliver or have already delivered economics that are validated with technical demonstration at larger scale….
      “It is projects such as these that have a high potential to be more cost-effective than the proposed AKP project, which – given its relatively much earlier stage of demonstration –is still a project with relatively higher technical and economic risks. These are the types of projects that will be crowded out under the proposed twenty-year contract to meet essentially all of the anticipated biodiesel demand for the Keahole power plant.”
      The county gives a summary of current technology development status and project economics for these companies:

Pacific Biodiesel is one company that Hawai`i County cites as more cost-
effective and more proven biofuel technology. Photo by William Neal

• Pacific BioDiesel: “5.5 million gallon per year biodiesel plant is operating and selling biodiesel; prices are competitive in Hawai`i’s transportation markets;” 
• Hu Honua: “24 MW biomass project could be operational as early as mid-2013 and selling electricity to HELCO;” 
• Cellana: “algae company is poised for expansion to pre-commercial to commercial operations, having run a six-acre demonstration facility at Kona since 2008; with a corporate commitment to sell products at no more than prevailing market prices;” 
• Envergent (UOP/Ensyn): “demonstration plant is being built in Honolulu (subject to reconfiguration due to closure of Tesoro refinery) based on pyrolysis technology that has over 25 years’ industrial use; with original plans to expand up to 50 million gallons per year of biomass-derived transportation fuel; pyrolysis oil production costs estimated at oil equivalent of $45 per barrel, although subsequent hydrotreating/upgrading will add additional cost;” 
• LS9: “demonstrated production of biodiesel by microbial fermentation in its 135,000 liter (36,000 gallon) demonstration facility; fuel production costs estimated at $1.50 per gallon;” Solazyme: “demonstrated production of algal oils and biodiesel in its demonstration/commercial-scale Peoria plant (two-million liter capacity) and in ADM’s single 500,000 liter fermenter, with delivery of -86,000 gallons of biodiesel to the military; production costs estimated at $3.44 per gallon;” 
• KiOR: “commercial scale operations and sales began in late 2012 from its 13-million-gallon per year 500 dry ton/day facility to make gasoline, diesel, and fuel oil blendstocks; production cost estimates vary from $1.80 to $2.62 per gallon at scale;” 
• Virent: “two demonstration plants provide capacity of 15,000 gallons per year; biomass-derived jet fuel delivered to U.S. Air Force for evaluation; diesel production costs estimated at $3 per gallon at high process efficiencies;” Sapphire: two demonstration algae farms in New Mexico: test facility has over 180,000 hours of year-round pilot data, and new 300-acre demonstration facility will produce one million gallons per year; claims production costs can match $85 per barrel oil;” 
• Algenol: “has produced 9,000 gallons per acre of ethanol and is scaling up its 36-acre pilot to produce 100,000 gallons per year; is incorporating diesel and jet fuel production in addition to ethanol; claims ethanol production costs of approximately $1 per gallon.” 

      More testimony will be covered in future Ka`u News Briefs. All testimony is available at puc.hawaii.gov.

Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park Ranger Kupono McDaniel gets ready
for his interview for The Today Show airing Monday. Photo from NPS

THE TODAY SHOW BEGINS its Great American Adventure next week in Hawai`i, when all five anchors – Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Natalie Morales, Al Roker and Willie Geist – travel together for the first time. The team will visit five U.S. destinations in a single week. 

      A segment filmed at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park last week will be featured along with others from locations throughout the state.
      Live taping takes place at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel on Waikiki Beach Monday from 1 a.m. to 4 a.m. Viewers will also see Hawai`i personalities and enjoy musical performances by local artists during the special broadcast.
      The show airs locally at 7 a.m. Monday on NBC.

HAWAIIAN CIVIC CLUB OF KA`U is offering financial help with college tuition for Ka`u graduates. The deadline for Civic Club scholarship applications is June 15, and preference is given to native Hawaiians. Civic Club volunteers are ready to help anyone fill out the Club’s simple scholarship application. 

      “Ka`u’s Civic Club recognizes the tough economy everybody is struggling with. Whether someone is a high school senior heading off to a university/college, vocational, or technical school, or someone older who’s working toward a degree, the Civic Club is here to kokua. Higher education can be a great new start in life,” said Civic Club member Wendy Baier. Call 929-9891 for more information and to receive an application.

KILAUEA DRAMA & ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK holds auditions for its annual summer musical Monday and Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Kilauea Military Camp Theater in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. This summer the community theater group presents Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. 

      KDEN is looking for people of all ages to participate. Auditioners should be prepared to sing, dance and possibly read scenes from the script. Show dates are July 12-28. Lead characters include Prince/Beast, Belle ( the Beauty), Gaston (the antagonist), Lumiere (the valet), Mrs. Potts (the cook), Babette (the maid), Madame de la Grande Bouche (an opera singer), Cogsworth (the butler), Maurice (Belle’s father), Chip (Mrs. Potts’ son), Monsieur d’Arque (insane asylum proprietor) and Lefou (Gaston’s sidekick).
      There is also an ensemble of Silly Girls, Enchanted Objects, and Townspeople. The show, based on the 1991 Disney film of the same name, features the music of Alan Menken with lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice and book by Linda Woolverton.
      For more information, call 982-7344, email kden73@aol.com or check KDEN’s Facebook page.

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 Friday, May 17, 2013

The Today Show producer Jen Long interviewed Ranger Kupono McDaniel for a segment to air Monday, May 20.
Photo from National Park Service

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK will be featured on The Today Show Monday, May 20 along with several locations throughout the state. Crew members from the show filmed in Hawai`i and at the national park this week during the show’s first stop of a trek across the nation.

Sen. Josh Green

MANY OF KA`U’S GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS support the National Transportation Safety Board’s recent recommendation that allowable blood alcohol content levels be dropped from 0.08 percent to 0.05 percent.
      Sen. Josh Green told Stephens Media reporter Chelsea Jensen that he is impressed with the NTSB’s recommendation and that he plans to introduce legislation to make the change during the next state Legislature. “This is a simple, elegant way to say, ‘We’re not going to tolerate drunken driving,’” he said. “It would be terrific (for Hawai`i) to be a leader in this area because we have dealt with a lot of drunken driving.”
      According to Jensen’s story, Police Chief Harry Kubojiri said he supports anything that would reduce the number of fatalities and injuries on Big Island roadways. He pointed out that lowering the blood alcohol content is just one of many aspects, including enforcement, education, treatment and sanctions, that need to take place. “Lowering the alcohol content in and of itself, I don’t think will prevent additional vehicle crashes,” he said, noting that crashes on Hawai`i Island often times involve drug use in addition to alcohol. “But it definitely plays a role.”

Mitch Roth

      Hawai`i County Prosecuting Attorney Mitch Roth told Jensen that he thinks lowering the legal limit is a good idea and noted that more research needs to be done. “We can definitely save lives,” he said.
      Hawai`i Police Department’s latest report states that, so far this year, there have been 486 DUI arrests in Hawai`i County, with nine of those in Ka`u. Of the 13 traffic fatalities on the island to date this year, one was related to alcohol only, and two were related to a combination of alcohol and drugs.
      See hawaiitribune-herald.com.

THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE for April declined to 4.9 percent from 5.1 percent in March, reported the state Department Of Labor & Industrial Relations. The last time the unemployment rate was 4.9 percent was in October 2008.
      Statewide, there were 614,000 employed and 31,850 unemployed in April, for a total seasonally adjusted labor force of 645,850.
      Nationally, theunemployment rate was 7.5 percent in April, compared to 7.6 percent in March.
      In another measure of employment, total seasonally adjusted nonagricultural jobs rose by 3,000 in April over March.
      There were over-the-month job gains in Leisure & Hospitality (+700), Trade, Transportation, & Utilities (+400), Financial Activities (+300), Other Services (+300), and Construction (+200).  

      Employment in Manufacturing remained unchanged. 

      Government employment went up by 2,600 jobs, with shifting seasonal staffing patterns at the Department of Education responsible for the vast majority of the increase.
      Among major industry sectors, there has been notable over-the-year job expansion in Construction (+3,300), Leisure & Hospitality (+1,500) and Other Services (+1,500).

A GROUP OF 272 BIG ISLAND RESIDENTS has sent a letter to Gov. Neil Abercrombie and the Environmental Protection Agency asking them to place a moratorium on further geothermal development until authorities take a closer look at Hawai`i’s geothermal practices, regulations and enforcement. 

      “For two decades, the community at large has been depending on the Department of Health, Civil Defense and other authorities to ensure the health and safety of the residents and schools around Puna Geothermal Venture’s geothermal plant,” the letter states. “During those years, many of us had hoped the plant would be a benefit that would reduce electricity costs and eliminate dependence on foreign oil. While we have yet to see those benefits materialize, recent events have revealed many startling problems with geothermal practices here in Hawai`i. We are seeing that a ‘hands off’ approach to regulation has done much to erode the public trust in the government’s ability to safeguard Hawai`i’s citizens and environment.
      The letter cites issues of no clear response plan in case of emergency at geothermal plants, including no system of warning residents, lack of monitoring of emissions by the state Department of Health, and inadequate regulation and oversight. It also questions claims that geothermal is clean, safe and sustainable.
      “This is not a question of being pro- or anti-geothermal energy,” the letter states. “This is about doing it right and making it safe. This is about not poisoning people and the environment based on an unsubstantiated promise of sustainability and energy security. In two decades, geothermal has only increased our electricity bills and subjected us to extremely hazardous conditions. Before we further embrace this volatile energy resource, we must learn more about its unique application in Hawai`i and how it affects human life and other precious resources.
      “To earn back the public trust, the governor’s office, the EPA, Hawai`i County Civil Defense and DOH must take immediate action to investigate these issues and overhaul the monitoring plan, enforcement structures and the emergency response plan. We ask you to resurrect the sense of civic duty required to remedy this overt failure of oversight. Until the EPA and Hawai`i government authorities can fulfill their obligation to safeguard life and land with a single geothermal plant, we citizens of Hawai`i insist that you institute an immediate moratorium on all future geothermal development and exploratory drilling.”
      The complete letter is available at geothermalhawaii.org./citizens-letter.

THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION has received responses to questions posed by Hawai`i County to the state Consumer Advocate regarding testimony on the proposed contract for `Aina Koa Pono to sell biofuel refined above Pahala from biomass grown in Ka`u to Hawai`i Electric Light Co. 

      Hawai`i County asked the Consumer Advocate to explain the rationale and evidence for the assertion that air emissions will be reduced. “Given that no biofuel using intended Hawai`i feedstock has apparently been produced other than for small lab-scale proof of concept …, what is the basis for this statement? Published literature on microwave depolymerization also indicates the bio-oils can contain widely varying levels of sulfur and nitrogen (hence potential SOx and NOx emissions) depending on the type of feedstock and specific process. In light of this, please justify this rather definitive statement and discuss whether it might be premature.”

      “The Biodiesel Specifications provided by HELCO … to the proposed contract specify levels of Sulfur and Fuel Bound Nitrogen,” the Consumer Advocate said. “If the fuel does not meet these specifications, HELCO has no obligation to purchase.”

     Hawai`i County asked, “Although the AKP project would arguably represent a further diversified contribution to Hawai`i’s RPS requirements, please comment on how much of a premium relative to other sources of renewable energy to meet these requirements is good public policy – given that these relatively higher costs are passed on to ratepayers.” 

      “First, it is not clear that the AKP price represents a premium relative to other sources of renewable energy that bid in response to the companies’ RFP,” the Consumer Advocate replied. “Second, it is not clear that the cost of electricity generated from AKP biodiesel will be more expensive than new renewable projects that would come online in the 2020 to 2030 timeframe. As higher levels of renewable resources become part of the HELCO grid, firm resources such as biofuels may become more valuable. Mr. Hornby did not attempt to quantify this value. The UHERO study, Sustainable Development and the Hawai`i Clean Energy Initiative, presents a number of assertions and questions, including some that have already been raised. However, the Legislature and administration have already established the state energy policy, and the renewable portfolio standard has been adopted in state law.”
      More testimony will be covered in future Ka`u News Briefs. All testimony is available at puc.hawaii.gov.

Halau Kahula O Nawahine Noho Pu`ukapu

OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION holds its monthly pancake breakfast tomorrow from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Ocean View Community Center. For more information, call 939-7033.

HALAU KAHULA O NAWAHINE Noho Pu`ukapu under the direction of kumu hula Ana Nawahine Kahoopii performs at the hula platform near Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. A hands-on cultural demonstration takes place from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at VAC Gallery porch. Free (donations welcome); park entrance fees apply. Call 967-8222 or julie@volcanoartcenter.org.
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.