Ka`u News Briefs Jan. 6, 2013

John Carroll (left) and Michael Thieman, of `Aina Koa Pono, worked with Lance Santo (center), from Hawai`i Agricultural Research Center, in 2011 to plant and grow sugar cane and bana grass to see which would do best on the proposed biofuels farm between
 Wood Valley and Pahala and Na`alehu. Photo by Michael Neal

HAWAI`I ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES CHAIR Constance Lau says HEI and its subsidiaries “will work with the community and potential renewable-energy developers this year, using requests for proposals to determine the best sources for O`ahu, Maui and the Big Island,” reports a story in Friday’s Pacific Business News.

HEI chair Constance Lau

      The Duane Shimogawa article reports: “Some say that the success of the Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc.’s companies is inextricably linked to the health of Hawai`i and its economy.
      “That is why HEI President and CEO Constance Lau plays such an important role as the state moves farther away from its dependence on imported oil,” Shimogawa concludes.
      Lau told Shimogawa that “together with American Savings Bank’s financing of clean-energy projects, our companies aim to lead Hawai`i’s transition to a clean-energy economy and to break the state’s dependence on imported oil, which hurts the pocketbooks of Hawai`i families and our state’s economy.”
      One of HEI’s proposals is to finalize a fixed-rate, 20-year contract to purchase diesel that would be manufactured by `Aina Koa Pono at a proposed refinery off Wood Valley Road above Pahala. The company promises 400 union construction jobs and 200 permanent farm and factory jobs. Land that is currently in pasture, trees and brush would be cleared between Pahala and Na`alehu, and `Aina Koa Pono would plant biofuel crops to be harvested for the refinery where biomass would be dried into pellets. The pellets would be processed in microwave units that would turn them into diesel. The diesel would be trucked up Hwy 11 to the Kona power plant.
      The state Public Utilities Commission turned down the proposal last year based on the projected high cost of the fuel, and the hui has reapplied with a lower fixed price  – some $200 per barrel. Opponents say that such a long-term contract for pricing higher than current costs for oil could deter other alternative energies, like geothermal, which could be much less expensive. Opponents also state that an emerging local beef industry could lose pasture, and coffee farmers, whose demand is outstripping supply, could lose opportunity to expand, if most of the good ag land goes into biofuel crops.

     The County of Hawai`i is participating in the legal discussions before the PUC. Mayor Billy Kenoi stated that the island does not need more renewable energy. "We need cheaper renewable energy." Environmental and consumer group Life of the Land has intervened in the PUC proceedings and the Consumer Advocate and state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism are also participating. Testimony from citizens and various agencies can be seen on the PUC website at http://puc.hawaii.gov/dockets. Click on `Aina Koa Pono and on Documents.

OCEAN CHAMPIONS has bestowed the title of Congressional Champion for the 113th Congress on both Sen. Mazie Hirono and Rep. Colleen Hanabusa. The political action committee endorses and backs candidates. It bills itself as the “Only Political Voice for the Ocean.” The PAC is “dedicated to protection of the ocean and its wildlife. Ocean Champions is focused on building champions for ocean conservation in the U.S. Congress,” says its website at www.oceanchampions.org.

Rep. Colleen Hanabusa

      According to Ocean Champions, in her first term in Congress, Hanabusa stole “the spotlight with her active, bipartisan, responsible governance. Representing the state of Hawai`i, she maintains a firm commitment to protecting the health of the environment and ecosystems that are so important to her state. She has co-sponsored Amendments to the Endangered Species Act that increased the protections for endangered species and joined the Congressional Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition which promotes the development of renewable energy technologies. Furthermore, in the debate over offshore drilling, she proposed amendments that require the calculation of a worst-case scenario, and, that the responsible party demonstrates it has the capacity and technology to respond to future leaks. Rep. Hanabusa’s cool-headed demeanor and philosophy of bipartisan cooperation makes her an ideal ocean champion; a champion that protects our oceans through cooperation with a long-term, sustainable mindset."
      Ocean Champions points out that Hanabusa is co-sponsor of:

• H.R. 738 (Coral Reef Conservation Act Reauthorization and Enhancement Amendments of 2011) 
• H.R. 1171 (Marine Debris Act Reauthorization Amendments of 2011) 
• H.R. 1229 (Putting the Gulf of Mexico Back to Work Act of 2011) 
• H.R. 1375 (Clean Water Protection Act of 2011) 
• H.R. 1689 (Big Oil Welfare Repeal Act of 2011) 
• H.R. 1761 (Marine Turtle Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2011) 
• H.R. 1938 (North American-Made Security Act of 2011) 

Sen. Mazie Hirono

      According to Ocean Champions, “Mazie Hirono was committed to protecting the environment as the Representative for Hawai`i’s 2nd District. Since 2007, “the Congresswoman has co-sponsored legislation to prevent expanded offshore drilling, clean up ocean garbage and protect coral reefs. She has supported implementation of the National Ocean Policy and co-sponsored its legislative precursor, Oceans-21, because she knows that improved ocean governance is needed to protect, maintain and restore ocean and coastal resources for the future.”

      Ocean Champions points out that in 2012, Hirono sponsored two Coastal Preservation Acts for Hawai`i’s North Maui (H.R. 3907) and Ka`u coasts (H.R. 3908). In 2011, she co-sponsored the West Coast Protection Act (H.R. 612), and the Coral Reef Conservation Act Reauthorization and Enhancement Amendments of 2011 (H.R. 738). Ocean Champions noted that Hirono is a member of many environmentally focused House committees and caucuses including the National Marine Sanctuary and House Oceans caucuses and the Water Resources and Environment subcommittee. “We look forward to Rep. Hirono championing new ocean conservation legislation in the Senate in 2013,” Ocean Champions states. Its website lists her accomplishments:
      Hirono Sponsored:

• H.R. 288 (Renewable Energy Applied Partnerships (REAP) ACT of 2011) 
• H.R. 3907 (North Maui Coastal Preservation Act of 2012) 
• H.R. 3908 (Ka`u Coast Preservation Act of 2012) 
• H.AMDT.469 to H.R.2112 ($3 million for preventive measures under the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act and the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act of 2011) 

      Hirono Co-Sponsored:

• H.R. 612 (West Coast Ocean Protection Act of 2011) 
• H.R. 738 (Coral Reef Conservation Act Reauthorization and Enhancement Amendments of 2011) 
• H.R. 192 (Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries Boundary Modification and Protection Act of 2011) 
• H.R. 501 (Implementing the Recommendations of the BP Oil Spill Commission Act of 2011) 
• H.R. 502 (Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Act of 2011) 
• H.R. 572 (Clean Ports Act of 2011) 
• H.R. 601 (End Big Oil Tax Subsidies Act of 2011) 
• H.R. 1171 (Marine Debris Act Reauthorization Amendments of 2011) 
• H.R. 860 (Coral Reef Conservation Act Reauthorization and Enhancement Amendments of 2009) 
• H.R. 81 (Shark Conservation Act of 2009) 
• H.R. 2055 (Pacific Salmon Stronghold Conservation Act of 2009) 
• H.R. 21 (Ocean Conservation, Education, and National Strategy for the 21st Century Act of 2009)

Residents can participate in Hawai`i County committee and Council
meetings, to be held this week in Hilo, at Ocean View Community Center.

HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL COMMITTEE meetings begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday, and the full Council meets Wednesday at 9 a.m. in Hilo. Ocean View Community Center’s new remote testimony site is available for residents to participate in the meetings. 

      One resolution on the County Council’s agenda strongly urges the state to continue funding the HI-5 recycling program for another year while budget and related issues are addressed. Council member Margaret Wille, who introduced the measure, says an estimated $765,000 is needed to continue the program through the fiscal year.
      Agendas for the County Council and committee meetings are available at hawaiicounty.gov.

Lava enters the ocean 30 years after Kilauea Volcano's
current eruption began. Photo from USGS/HVO

AS PART OF VOLCANO AWARENESS MONTH, After Dark In The Park has programs every Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. This Tuesday, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist Tim Orr reviews highlights from the past 30 years of Kilauea’s ongoing east rift zone eruption and talks about recent developments. During its first three years, spectacular lava fountains spewed episodically from Pu`u `O`o vent. Since then, nearly continuous lava effusion has built a vast plain of pahoehoe lava that stretches from the volcano’s rift zone to the sea. Although the eruption has been relatively quiet during the past year, with mostly steady but unusually weak activity, it has produced some dramatic lava flows in past years. 

HAWAI`I WILDLIFE FUND’S first Ka`u Coast Cleanup for 2013 is this Saturday, Jan. 12. Volunteers meet at Wai`ohinu Park to carpool to Kamilo Point. Sign up with Megan Lamson at
769-7629 or kahakai.cleanups@gmail.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 Jan. 5, 2013

Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary seeks volunteers for its 2013 ocean count on the last Saturdays of January, February and March. Photo by Barbara LaCorte/NOAA

A MAGNITUDE 4.4 EARTHQUAKE shook the south flank of Kilauea Volcano at 4:37 a.m. this morning. It was one of several earthquakes around the Pacific Rim, 4.4 and larger, including a magnitude 7.7 near Cordova, in southeastern Alaska, and temblors from Ecuador to Chile, Vanuatu, New Guinea and Japan. The U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported that the local earthquake was in the Pulama Pali area about seven miles west of Kalapana and four miles southeast of Pu`u `O`o crater, at a depth of six miles.
 The earthquake was widely felt on Hawai`i Island. The USGS “Did you feel it?” website (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/dyfi/) received 160 felt reports within the first hour of the earthquake. There were no aftershocks.

      Pulama Pali has been the site of 23 earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 or greater during the past 50 years, with eight since 1983. HVO reports that most are caused by abrupt motion of the volcano’s south flank moving southeast over the ocean crust at an average rate of 2.6 inches per year as a result of magma injected into the rift zone. The earthquake did not have any apparent effect on Kilauea’s ongoing eruption. HVO monitoring networks have not detected any significant changes in activity at the summits or rift zones of any other Hawaiian volcanoes.


      For eruption updates and information on recent earthquakes in Hawai`i, visit the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory website at http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov. 
HVO is celebrating the 30th year of the ongoing Kilauea eruption which began on Jan. 3, 1983.

HAWAI`I’S DELEGATION HAS ACCEPTED ASSIGNMENTS for the 2013 U.S. Congress.

SEN. MAZIE HIRONO serves on the Committee on Armed Services, Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Veterans Affairs.
      Concerning the Armed Services Committee, she said, “Hawai`i is home to the U.S. Pacific Command and thousands of men and women who serve our country in the armed forces.
      “Our military’s presence in Hawai`i not only plays a critical role in our national security but also in driving our state’s economy and supporting thousands of jobs in the public and private sectors. I look forward to partnering with my colleague on the House Armed Services Committee, Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa, in preserving Hawai`i’s important role in our national security,” said Hirono. Hirono is Hawai`i’s first female senator and the nation’s first immigrant and first Buddhist member of the U.S. Senate.

Sen. Mazie Hirono, joined by step-daughter Malia Paul and husband
Leighton Oshima, is sworn into the U.S. Senate by Vice Pres. Joe Biden.
Photo from the office of Sen. Mazie Hirono

SEN. BRIAN SCHATZ serves on Committees for Indian Affairs, the Committee on Energy & Natural Resources and the Committee on Commerce.
      “Indian Affairs is an assignment I wanted because of its importance to Native Hawaiians and all the people of Hawai`i,” said Schatz. “There is a lot of work ahead to attain what is right for Native Hawaiians with respect to federal recognition, and I will do my utmost to build from the groundwork that has already been laid by Senator Akaka and Senator Inouye.”
      Through the Energy Committee, Schatz said, he could help direct financial resources to this state. “Energy is a continuation of the work I have been doing in clean energy and transition fuels.”
      According to a Washington, D.C. publication called The Hill, Hirono, who served on the Energy Committee when she was in the House, had been expected to have the same assignment in the Senate. “Green groups had expressed excitement about Hirono’s committee assignment, calling her an advocate of clean energy and conservation. They likely will be just as pleased with Schatz who, like Hirono, has said he is committed to combating climate change,” reported Zack Colman, a writer for The Hill’s E-2 Wire on energy and the environment.
      Schatz called the Commerce Committee “pivotal,” saying he can help Hawai`i and the rest of the country with ocean, road and rail transportation. He said he wants to direct interest and “spur international technology development in the Islands.”

REP. COLLEEN HANABUSA, who represents urban O`ahu,  serves on the Committee on Natural Resources and the Armed Services Committee.

Tulsi Gabbard was sworn into Congress this week, putting her hand on the
Bhagavad Gita. It marked the first time the Hindu book of religion has
been used in Congress for the ceremony, which usually employs the
Bible or Torah. Photo from Rep. Tulsi Gabbard

REP. TULSI GABBARD, who represents Ka`u along with the other rural communities in the state, has assignments to the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Homeland Security. 

      She stated, “As the U.S. pivots its focus toward the Asia-Pacific region, my work on the Foreign Affairs Committee will ensure Hawai`i benefits from, and provides leadership in, this shift in policy and strategy.
       “By drawing on military background and experience leading counter-terrorism training during my deployment to Kuwait, I plan to bring unique insights and a firsthand perspective to my position on the Homeland Security Committee. Given Hawai`i’s location and crucial international ports, I will work to bring into focus the impact our nation’s Homeland Security policies have on the islands.” Gabbard, 31, is the first American Samoan and first Hindu in congress. Newspapers in Hindu communities across the world noted that she took the oath on the Bhagavad Gita instead of the Bible or Torah.

HAWAI`I’S LOW UNEMPLOYMENT is a positive trend in the economy. However, a possible reduction in federal funding and an aging population could hamper growth, states economist Paul Brewbaker, who submitted testimony to a briefing yesterday for Hawai`i state legislators. The economist called Hawai`i’s economic recovery a “plodding path.” He recommended “greater efficiency, higher productivity and faster economic growth,” as ways to meet the challenge. He recommended incentivizing tourism by pulling back on regulations. 

      He noted that a particularly difficult problem is the promise to pay Social Security and government employee retirement when the percentage of people over 65 is growing, leaving the fewer younger working people to pay the bills.
      Gov. Neil Abercrombie issued a statement saying that his administration and the state Council of Revenues show that “the tourism economic sector is performing strongly, state unemployment rates continue to decline and other sectors like construction are showing signs of improvement.”
      The Council of Revenues issued its report this week saying tax revenues will grow more than earlier expected in 2013 and 2014. The governor’s proposed state budget is $11.8 billion for fiscal 2014 and $12.1 billion for 2015.

NA`ALEHU BRANCH OF CU Hawai`i Federal Credit Union will close next Saturday, Jan. 12 for construction work to allow 24-hour access to the ATM. The credit union is extending its Friday, Jan. 11 hours until 6 p.m. and reopens on Monday, Jan.14. Also, the Pahala office will be open from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 11 and again on Saturday, Jan. 12 from 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 am.

HAWAIIAN ISLANDS HUMPBACK WHALE National Marine Sanctuary sends Happy New Year greetings to Ka`u residents. The 2013 Sanctuary Ocean Count begins Jan. 26 and continues Feb. 23 and March 30. Site leaders and general volunteers are needed to gather population and distribution information. Hawai`i Island South Shore count locations are Punalu`u, Ka Lae and Miloli`i Lookout. For more information and to register, visit hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov. 

TALENTED KA`U RESIDENTS of all ages can begin preparing acts now for Volcano Art Center’s Valentine Variety Show. Auditions take place Thursday, Jan. 17 at 4 p.m. and Saturday, January 19 at 10 a.m. at VAC’s Ni`aulani Campus in Volcano Village. All applicants and performers must be able to make the scheduled audition, one mandatory dress rehearsal on either Feb. 7 or 8 and show times on either Feb. 9 and 16 or Feb.10 and 17. Acts should be no longer than five minutes and can be music, dance, drama, comedy, magic, juggling, acrobatics or any other form of entertainment. Solo and group acts are encouraged. Application fee of $15 is waived for VAC members. For an application or more information, email 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.

Ka`u News Briefs Jan. 4, 2013

Ka`u has more government-owned land than any other district in Hawai`i. The Public Lands Development Corp. is aiming to partner with private enterprise to use state land for economic development and to bolster state revenues. State land is shown in light green.
  Map from state Office of Planning, Hawai`i Statewide GIS Program.

THE PUBLIC LAND DEVELOPMENT CORP and its possible erosion of home rule over land use is an issue coming up in the new County Council. Council member Margaret Wille, of Kohala, is an attorney, and she plans to hold a workshop on the PLCD for the Council’s Planning Committee at 1 p.m. next Tuesday. While the meeting will be held in Hilo Council chambers Tuesday, the public can watch the proceedings and ask questions from Ocean View Community Center, where interactive video has been installed. The PLDC is a state agency under the Department of Land and Natural Resources, set up by the Legislature to allow use of state lands for economic development through partnering with private entities. Its board is comprised of public officials and some developers.

Margaret Wille

      Wille told West Hawai`i Today in a story this morning that Hawai`i County has the most state land and the most to lose. “She wants the Council and the community to have a better understanding about whether the appointed five-member board could override county zoning and land use codes,” the Nancy Cook Lauer story says.
      West Hawai`i Today quotes Wille saying, “Most of this is public lands under the public trust. The state is the trustee for Native Hawaiians and the public. You are accountable to those beneficiaries. You’re not just acting like this is private property to do with as you will.”
      Most of the Big Island’s legislators have vowed to repeal or seriously change the PLDC law during the 2013 Legislature.
      The Hawai`i County Council in October unanimously passed a resolution asking the Legislature to repeal the PLDC. Kauai and Maui passed similar resolutions. However, the City & County of Honolulu declined to pass the resolution, meaning that the legislative package from the association of counties does not include a resolution to repeal PLDC law. According to the West Hawai`i Today story, “Wille said the county has a responsibility to hold fast to its local laws, and she wants a thorough understanding about which laws could be jeopardized by state action. She also wants the PLDC’s administrative rules to be more clear on the public’s right to judicial review to have legal standing to contest the agency’s actions in court.”
      State House Rep. Denny Coffman told The Ka`u Calendar that he voted for the PLDC law but made a mistake. He changed his mind and is planning to seek a repeal during the upcoming legislative session.

CU Hawai`i staff, (l-r), asst. supervisor Erin Santos, member services rep.
Jeannette Castillo, Ka`u branch manager Mako Okazaki, and member
services representatives Kellene Kainoa and Lena Ortega.

CU HAWAI`I FEDERAL CREDIT UNION will close the Na`alehu Branch on Saturday, Jan. 12 for construction work on the front doors that will allow 24-hour access to the ATM. To make up for time lost for the community, the credit union is extending its Friday, Jan. 11 hours until 6 p.m. The credit union reopens on Monday, Jan.14. To assist members, the Pahala office will be open from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 11 and again on Saturday Jan. 12 from 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 am.

KEA`AU CAME TO KA`U YESTERDAY. Ka`u High Varsity soccer teams faced off against Kea`au on the Trojan field. The boys team held Kea`au the first half, but the Cougars slipped in a goal in the second half to win 1-0. The Cougar girls also beat Trojan wahine 6-0.

KAMEHAMEHA VISITED Ka`u High gym last night to play the girls JV and Varsity basketball teams. Kamehameha JV beat Ka`u 40-27, with Kerrilyn Domondon and Lea Apia-Dolan each scoring nine points. Trojan Varsity also lost 64-29, with high-scorer Shyann Flores-Carvalho putting away six points. Casey Koi and Denish Navarro each added four.

SUNDAYS ARE SIZZLIN’ at Kilauea Military Camp in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park this month. Bowling is $1 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Crater Rim Café has Chef’s Specials from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Choices are short ribs and lu`au-style ono for $13.50 or teri chicken meal deal for $8.95 including dessert and beverage. KMC is open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. 967-8371

ON TUESDAY, JAN. 8 After Dark in the Park marks the 30th anniversary of Kilauea’s ongoing east rift zone eruption, with Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist Tim Orr reviewing highlights and talking about recent developments. The program begins at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park.

THE DEADLINE FOR YOUNG WOMEN to enter this spring’s Miss Ka`u Coffee Pageant is Tuesday, Jan. 15. Categories are Miss Ka`u Coffee and Miss Ka`u Peaberry. By May 13, Miss Ka`u Coffee candidates must be ages 17 to 24, and Miss Ka`u Peaberry candidates must be ages 7 to 9. The winners reign over the annual Ka`u Coffee Festival on Saturday, May 4.
      Applications are available at R&G Store in Pahala, Pahala Community Center, Grandma’s Closet in Na`alehu and Kahuku Gift & Garden Shop in Ocean View. For more information, call Gloria Camba at 928-8558 or Pahala Plantation Cottages at 928-9811. Organizers also welcome volunteers to help produce the pageant.

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.