Ka`u News Briefs March 9, 2013

Whale pinged by Navy sonar. Illustration from Natural Resources Defense Fund

NAVY SONAR TRAINING EXERCISES ACROSS 120,000 square miles of Pacific waters, from Hawai`i to Southern California, received a thumbs down yesterday for a five-year permit. It was an attempt by the California Coastal Commission to mitigate impacts on marine mammals.
      However, the same California Coastal Commission turned down the Navy permit in 2007, and the Navy carried on, leading to a federal lawsuit.

      Coastal Commissioner Jana Zimmer told Navy representatives meeting in San Diego on Friday: “I understand you see this 120,000-square-mile range as your theater, but the bottom line is we don’t see it that way. That theater is occupied by creatures of the sea.” Regarding marine protected areas, she said, “you need to start looking at this theater as a theater where some of the seats are reserved.”

      While there is no such obligation in Hawai`i, in California the Navy is required to apply to the Coastal Commission for use of waters for war games. The commission asked the Navy for more proof that sonar technology and explosives have small impacts on marine mammals, such as dolphins and whales.
      Environmental groups contend that Navy sonar affects marine mammals’ own sonar, used to locate food and mates, that explosives damage their hearing, and that both can lead to deaths and injuries.
      The Navy’s latest training plan predicts as many as 130 marine mammal deaths and 8.8 million impacts by Navy actions over the five-year period. The hours of training proposed are increased over previous plans, and the Navy reports considering a larger geographic area for training to ensure readiness for the Pacific Ocean. The Navy pointed to danger looming with the Chinese military buildup and from North Korea, which this week threatened a pre-emptive nuclear strike on the U.S. The Navy testified it needs the sonar exercise to test new equipment, in particular for detecting mini and large “quiet diesel-electric submarines.”

Sonar on the bow of a surface Navy ship. Photo from Navy EIS

      The Natural Resources Defense Council testified that the Navy expects 13 times more impact on marine mammals through its military exercises than estimated in earlier plans.
      The Defense Council website states that “when a sound thousands of times more powerful than a jet engine fills their ears, the results can be devastating -- and even deadly. “This is the reality that whales and other marine mammals face because of human-caused noise in the ocean, whether it’s the sound of airguns used in oil exploration or subs and ships emitting sonar. Manmade sound waves can drown out the noises that marine mammals rely on for their very survival, causing serious injury and even death.”
        To mitigate effects on marine mammals, the Coastal Commission staff proposed that the Navy shut down war games when marine mammals or sea turtles are detected by blacking out areas of up to two kilometers offshore; blackout areas for sonar use in marine sanctuaries, and those protected and coastal areas with such rare species as bottlenose dolphins; reduce emitting sounds at night and when visibility is low; reduce speed in sensitive areas to 10 knots when possible; improve training for marine mammal spotters aboard Navy ships; and create a contingency plan for near-shore explosives, should additional marine mammal deaths occur.
      Members of the Audubon Society, Greenpeace, the Sierra Club and Surfrider Foundation also attended the meeting in San Diego.

State-owned land includes much of Hawai`i Island's
watershed.

PROTECTING THE WATERSHED went unfunded in the state House of Representatives state budget passed by its Finance Committee this week. Finance chair Sylvia Luke said, however, that the committee is still looking for money, perhaps through the general fund or by issuing bonds. Gov. Neil Abercrombie had proposed an increase in the conveyance tax levied when real property changes hands – limited to properties valued at more than $2 million. He said the tax would generate an estimated $10 million for watershed protection. He also proposed a 10-cent fee for single-use checkout bags to go into the natural area reserve fund, estimating income of $15 million. Neither have traction in the 2013 Legislature. 

      In his State of the State address on Jan. 22, Abercrombie said: “If we are going to nurture and expand our local agriculture – if we are going to be talking about how we meet the challenges of the 21st century and ensure that we perpetuate ‘our’ Hawai`i, its natural beauty and environment – the question is what must we do keep our watershed areas protected. The Department of Land and Natural Resources Watershed Initiative remains a top priority.
      “Our forests can capture and collect up to 50 percent more water than through rainfall alone.
 When forests disappear, Hawai`i shrinks its source of water. In the last 200 years, more than half of Hawai`i’s forests have been lost. The longer we wait to take significant action, the higher the cost will be to reverse the damage, thereby threatening water supplies for future generations.
      “I thank the Legislature for providing funding last session. But what we need is a sustainable and ongoing source of funding. I will be asking the Legislature to look at alternative methods of funding this critical initiative.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie under the campaign signs of Ka`u's new legislators
last November at Hilo Bandstand. Photo by Julia Neal

GOV. NEIL ABERCROMBIE yesterday announced the release of more than $46.39 million for various capital improvement projects across Hawai`i, including investments required to qualify for federal funding toward state projects. “Many of these priority projects require matching state funds to access federal dollars, secured before sequestration, to maintain and upgrade our public infrastructure and facilities,” Abercrombie said. “These CIPs will have the added benefit of stimulating Hawai`i’s economy and generating local jobs. Priority has been given to projects that can begin quickly.” 

      Allotment of funds for the following priority projects, identified by members of the state Legislature, has been approved by the governor:

• $14 million for design and construction for various repair and alteration projects to existing state office buildings. Projects may include roofing, other repairs and improvements. 
• $3.1 million for transfer of general obligation bond funds to the Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund to match more than $15 million in federal funds to finance wastewater infrastructure construction projects (such as wastewater systems, storm water, and non-point source projects) across the state to attain and maintain compliance with the federal Clean Water Act. 
• $2.7 million for transfer of general obligation bond funds to the Drinking Water Treatment Revolving Loan Fund to match more than $13 million in federal funds to finance drinking water infrastructure construction projects across the state for public water systems to attain and maintain compliance with the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. 
• $1 million for design and construction of renewable energy sources for state park facilities and replacement of aging energy and water systems with efficient fixtures, systems and facilities statewide. 



Pu`u Pua`i Photo from fhvnp.org

• $1 million for design and construction to provide public accessibility at several DLNR facilities statewide pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act.

FRIENDS OF HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK explore Pu`u Pua`i area on an easy-to-moderate hike of about three miles. Non-members can join the nonprofit organization in order to attend. Call 985-7373 to join. 

PEOPLE AND LAND OF KAHUKU, a guided 2.5-mile hike over rugged terrain, focuses on the human history of the Kahuku Unit of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park tomorrow from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

TUTU & KEIKI, Ka `Ohana O Honu`apo’s first 2013 Sunday in the Park family event, takes place tomorrow from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Whittington Beach Park. Co-hosts are Tutu & Me Traveling Preschool and Hawaiian Civic Club of Ka`u. The event features Hawaiian activities, games and prizes. For more information, call 929-9891.

HAWAI`I WILDLIFE FUND holds a Ka`u Coast Cleanup next Saturday. Volunteers can sign up with Megan Lamson at 769-7629 or kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com.

A VOLUNTEER FOREST RESTORATION PROJECT next Saturday takes place in the Mauna Loa strip section of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Pre-registration is required at 352-1402 or forest@fhvnp.org.

BLUEGRASS MEETS HAWAIIAN MUSIC next Saturday at a Piligrass concert at Pahala Plantation House. Keoki Kahumoku and Aloha Bluegrass Band perform at 7:30 p.m. Suggested donation is $15 - $20. For more information, call 938-6582.

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 March 8, 2013

Monk seals will not be transported to Ka`u or any of the other areas in inhabited Hawai`i from the uninhabited northwest islands, according to a new management plan. This monk seal came into Honu`apu years ago as the community was lobbying to preserve the area. A family event will be  held at Honu`po this Sunday. Photo by Julia Neal

A PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP AUTHORITY, initially for three specific projects, may become the replacement for the Public Land Development Corp. which is likely to be repealed by the 2013 Hawai`i Legislature.
      Over the objections of Ka`u state Senators Josh Green and Russell Ruderman, who voted no along with Senators Laura Thiielen, Mike Gabbard and Les Hara, the Senate approved SB215 yesterday with a 20 to 5 vote and sent the measure to the House.
      From the Senate floor, Ruderman objected, saying many people living in his district are worried that the bill is too much like the PLDC. He noted that the measure almost passed the Senate with a wording that would have allowed the county to provide waivers to the private-state partnerships for complying with local zoning and other land use requirements. The waivers were “glossed over” before being removed this week, Ruderman pointed out.
      Three pilot projects would be attempted with private developers using state land, should the Public-Private Partnership Authority pass the state House of Representatives. They would be restricted to a Wahiawa redevelopment, a Maui film studio and one project to be proposed by a county. The pilot project would be for five years before possibly extending public-private partnerships to other projects on state land.

Voting at the Pahala precinct. Photo by Julia Neal

KA`U MAY NO LONGER BE THE BIG FISH in public funding coffers for County Council elections. Sen. Russell Ruderman’s bill that would equalize public funding among the county council districts passed the state Senate yesterday and is headed for the House of Representatives.
   The formula for recent election funding was based on how much money candidates raised in elections before the pilot public funding went into effect.  In Ka`u, former County Council member Guy Enriques reported more than $90,000 in expenditures for his successful 2008 campaign with money raised from private sources. He lost the 2010 election but his spending in 2008 led to the most public funding for any council district during the 2012 election. Run-off candidates Maile David and Brenda Ford received $48,893 each in public funding, and primary election candidate Bradley Westervelt received $41,273.77.
      Council candidates in other districts around the island, where large donations were not taken in to conduct political campaigns, received much less when public funding kicked in. District 4 candidate Ian Greggor received $21,282 and James Weatherford $16,320. District 2 candidate J Yoshimoto received $14,559 and District 9 candidate Margaret Wile received $11,600.46. District 8 candidate Karen Eoff received $12,282.
      Ruderman’s bill would change the public campaign funding amount for all disctricts on the Big Island to $13,106 per candidate. Ruderman, a freshman senator, campaigned on reducing the influence of money in public elections.

Seal pups in decline in uninhabited Hawaiian islands.
Photo from NOAA

YOUNG SEALS FROM THE NORTHWEST HAWAIIAN ISLANDS will stay in their remote home for now. The federal plan to transfer up to 20 pups and 30 juveniles to the inhabited Hawaiian Islands where the population of monk seals has been increasing, has been delayed. Before initiating the project, however, marine mammal scientists with NOAA said that they want to establish a public network of monitoring monk seals locally. Concern for monk seals in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands grew with decline in the population there, blamed on sharks feeding on the pups and a reduction in availability of food there.
       A plan for scientific research over the next five years concerning monk seals in Hawai`I can be seen at www.nmfs.noaa. Comments can be made through April 15.

HO`OMALU KA`U is a new non-profit organization with 501 © 3 status. The organization has been established to serve the South Hawai`i region with the purpose of “perpetuating, protecting and conserving the lands, health, knowledge, culture and history of Ka`u and its people.”
      The organization has received the Ho`omalu Ka`u property, with 15 pristine acres of native, dryland forest. Founders note that only 5 percent of dryland forests in Hawai`i remain. The property, located makai of Hwy 11 at Road to the Sea, is served by an intact remnant of the Alaloa, an ancient rail used to travel around the island from ahuapua`a to ahupua`a.
      The first goal of the organization is to establish The Heritage Center of Ka`u. A statement from the group says, “Ka`u’s unique cultural, historical and traditional knowledge, as well as many priceless artifacts are being lost daily. There is no place in theDistrict where these never-to-be replaced resources can be stored, preserved and accessed by local residental and island visitors.”
      The plan calls for a Ka`u Gateway reception center to welcome and inform visitors about Ka`u; the archive and museum; a retail area with local art and agricultural products and community center for local gatherings. Founding board members are Wendy Vance, Lehua Lopez Mau and Chris Reed. The organization is partnering with Ka`u Hawaiian Civic Club and its President Blossom DeSilva.

PUC Chair Mina Morita. Photo by Julia Neal

“THE RATEPAYER DOESN’T HOLD THE PUC IN HIGH REGARD,” Public Utilities Chair Mina Morita said yesterday. She was speaking at a public session called PUC Regulation Purpose and Process, held at the Hawai`i State Legislature Auditorium in Honolulu. Morita opened by reporting from a survey of those invited. She said she learned that “If you appear to be a practitioner before the PUC, the general thought was that we were making improvements, but lacked the resources. On the other hand, those who were not regular practitioners before the PUC thought we were incompetent, a rubber stamp for HECO, didn't listen to the public, opaque, operating in a black box. So no doubt, the largest stakeholder group -- the one that the PUC decisions affect the most, the general public, or the ratepayer -- does not hold the agency in very high regard.”
       With the PUC entering “its 100th year of public service, it is a good time for re-examination of the PUC, and work towards a common understanding of its role and purpose. And it’s extremely important to make the PUC's core values, transparent, and its work and its decisions understandable to the general public,” said Morita. She called yesterday’s discussion “the first step in that direction.”
      The PUC is involved with Ka`u in deciding whether to approve a contract between `Aina Koa Pono and the electric utility for fuel that would be manufactured in a refinery that would be built off Wood Valley Road. The contract would mean increases in electric bills on O`ahu and the Big Island. The approval process could go into the year 2014.
      The utilities recently provided answers, on behalf of `Aina Koa Pono, to detailed questions from the County of Hawai`i, the state Consumer Advocate, the state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism and Life of the Land. The next round of testimony from the county and others is due March 15. The utility’s additional questions about `Aina Koa Pono are due April 12. The county and others respond by May 10. By June 7, the utilities file rebuttal testimony and exhibits. On July 5, the county and others ask more questions and the utilities reply by Aug. 2. Following these deadlines, there will be settelement discussions to attempt to create a final proposal for the `Aina Koa Pono proposal. Discussions could lead to evidentiary hearings, which could start in September with transcripts delivered in October, opening briefs in November and closing briefs in December. However, the process could be cut short with a decision by the PUC sometime this Fall. If evidentiary hearings are held, the process could go into 2014, the PUC scheduling indicates.

ADVANCE REGISTRATION for the Food Business Basics workshop to be held next Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Pahala Community Center is today. Getting Started and Finding Your Niche in the Specialty Foods Business is the title of the session for helping local residents to develop raw products and bring them to market. Understanding the food marketplace and distribution channels; identifying target consumers and developing product niche; business planning and food processing options; local state and federal regulations, product development and funding are some of the topics. Registration is $35 and scholarships are available. See laulimacenter.org/foodbasics.html.

KA `OHANA O HONU`APO hosts Tutu & Keiki, its first 2013 Sunday in the Park family event, this Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Whittington Beach Park. Co-hosts are Tutu & Me Traveling Preschool and Hawaiian Civic Club of Ka`u. The event features Hawaiian activities, games and prizes. For more information call 929-9891.

Ka`u News Briefs March 7, 2013

Filipino World War II heroes would be able to bring their families to the U.S. under Sen. Mazie Hirono's legislation.
Photo from the American Coalition of Filipino Verterans 

SUPPORTING FILIPINO WAR HEROES, Sen. Mazie K. Hirono introduced her first bill as United States Senator this week. The legislation would allow immigration for Filipino World War II veteran families. A statement from her office says, “The long-overdue legislation, which has been the priority of Hawai`i’s congressional delegation for many years, could gain new life as the Senate drafts and marks up immigration reform legislation. This legislation underscores Hirono’s immigration reform approach of bringing families together and assisting communities whose voices aren’t often heard in

Sen. Mazie K. Hirono

     Hirono stated: “Immigration reform should reflect our values and these are the types of ideas I will be working to include in the final legislation,” said Hirono. “Our nation can never fully repay the debt we owe the Filipino World War II veterans who bravely served and sacrificed alongside Americans in the critical South West Pacific Theatre. The brave servicemen who are still with us, now in their 80s and 90s, should not have to wait any longer in order to be reunited with their children.” Thousands of Filipino veterans were granted citizenship in recognition of their service to the United States in World War II. Their children, however, were not granted citizenship. As a result, the veterans who came to the United States could only sponsor their children by filing a petition and “getting in line,” Hirono noted. The backlogs affecting Filipino immigration applications date back more than 20 years in some cases.
       The statement says that Hirono has “a key perch to influence immigration reform legislation” as she sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration.
      The American Coalition of Filipino Veterans estimates that 20,000 sons and daughters of U.S. Filipino World War II veterans will directly benefit from Hirono’s legislation. “We applaud Sen. Hirono's great decision in reintroducing the Filipino Veterans Family Reunification bill,” said Eric Lachica, Executive Director, American Coalition of Filipino Veterans. "Salamat po! Mabuhay Senator Hirono,” he proclaimed.
      Rep. Colleen Hanabusa will introduce the bill in the House of Representatives.

FRESHMAN CONGRESSWOMAN TULSI GABBARD voted with Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday when they passed their budget. Gabbard was among 53 Democrats who said yes to the measure, noting that it would restore some military funding cut by the sequester.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard

      Hawai`i is considered one of the states most dependent on infusion of military money. While protecting some military funding, however, the bill would preserve the overall $85 million in budget cuts, meaning that funding restored to the military would come from reduced funding for social services, education and other federal services, including furloughing some air traffic controllers and airport security staff – as many as 21 air traffic controllers in Hilo. Democrats warn that this could mean long waits for air travelers.
     Hawai`i’s senior House member Colleen Hanabusa voted against the Republican budget, which received 267 votes in favor and 151 in opposition. “This measure not only reaffirms sequestration, it does nothing to remove sequestration," said Hanabusa. A member of the House Armed Services Committee, she called for flexibility for the military in the use of its funding – a measure that was included in the Republican budget. Hanabusa also called for congress to give agencies beyond the Defense Department more flexibility in the use of their reduced budgets.
The proposal before congress is called the Continuing Resolution and would prevent a government shutdown at the end of March when the current resolution expires. 

Sen Colleen Hanabusa

     Hanabusa said: “While I support in principle extending funding and also making full-year appropriations for Defense spending and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, this bill does not accomplish what we need to get done.” 

      Gabbard called the bill she voted for “far from perfect” and said she supported it “because it provides important funds for our men and women serving overseas, our military-related jobs in Hawai`i, and it works to avert a government shutdown, protecting our economy from yet another self-manufactured crisis… I’m hopeful the Senate will improve upon this bill and a final bipartisan compromise can be reached to ensure the government remains open at the end of the month.”

VISITOR INDUSTRY SPENDING is expected to total $15.8 billion in Hawai`i this year with a half million more tourists coming to the islands. The Hawai`i Tourism Authority adjusted its projection yesterday and pointed to the increased number of airline seats coming to Hawai`i. The Tourism Authority predicted that 8.5 million visitors will come to the Islands in 2013.

THE USE OF THE CHEMICAL ATRAZINE is the subject of a Civil Beat investigative story published yesterday. The Sophie Cocke article states that “For decades, Hawai`i sugarcane and pineapple farmers, and increasingly seed corn growers, have sprayed the weed killer atrazine on their fields. Atrazine is the second most used weed control chemical in the country, first registered with the federal government in 1958. Civil Beat reports that “When it rains, the popular herbicide is swept into rivers and streams, threatening plant and aquatic life. Atrazine has been shown to reduce reproduction in fish and amphibians, cause birth defects, and according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is toxic to algae and plant life.”

Atrazine is a popular herbicide in the U.S. and is found in streams and oceans.
Photo from agritrue.com

    According to Civil Beat, its “review of state records and interviews with local regulators shows Hawai`i’s rivers, streams and coastal waters are not being tested for the chemical even though the EPA established water safety levels a decade ago and last year required states to regulate pesticides under the Clean Water Act. The state doesn't track where the chemical is being sprayed and in what quantities,” Civil Beat reports.
      Cocke writes that “atrazine users are largely left to police themselves when it comes to complying with strict EPA guidelines that limit spraying and require setbacks from water resources.”
      She quotes Thomas Matsuda, manager of the pesticides program at the state Department of Agriculture, saying, “We don’t test.” Matsuda told Civil Beat: “Basically, the label is the law. So basically whoever is the applicator is supposed to comply with whatever the label states.”
     The Civil Beat story also quotes Matsuda saying he is concerned about pesticide levels in Hawai`i, but monitoring is difficult with only six inspectors statewide. He said state agriculture inspectors must initiate formal investigations to gain specific information on atrazine use. Civil Beat followed the paper trail of sales records of atrazine at the Department of Agriculture and reported they “indicate that some of the largest buyers of atrazine include Hawai`i seed corn companies, Monsanto and Mycogen, and some of the state’s biggest farming operations.” 

Scientist and ocean researcher Joy Shih says that atrazine
should be banned to protect groundwater and marine life
 in Hawai`i.  Photo from SOEST

      The Natural Resources Defense Council sued the Enviornmental Protection Agency in 2003, “arguing that lax regulations failed to protect endangered species from atrazine in waterways throughout the mainland. In recent years, the EPA has required testing of 40 waterways in agricultural areas in the Midwest and southern U.S. but not in Hawai`i. The tests revealed widespread atrazine contamination, according to a report by the NRDC. In one-third of the waterways, tests came back with atrazine levels five to 10 times higher than the EPA’s safety limit,” Civil Beat reported. “The European Union has prohibited the use of atrazine since 2003 out of concern that the herbicide can easily contaminate groundwater,” according to the Civil Beat story. 

      Atrazine “has shown up repeatedly in drinking water in Hawai`i — something that the state does monitor. Much of the contamination is in Hilo on the Big Island, according to data from the Hawai`i Department of Health. The levels are within the EPA's safe standards for drinking water, and state officials say they don't warrant concern,” reports Civil Beat.
      According to the Civil Beat story, researcher Joy Shih, a doctoral candidate at the University of Hawai`i’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, believes that atrazine should be banned. “I think of Hawai`i as one giant watershed,” she told Civil Beat. “There is no inland, from the tops of the mountains, everything flows into the ocean. So anything that you apply that is water soluble ends up in the ocean. Fish are definitely affected and coral is affected.”
      Shih told Civil Beat that studies link atrazine to coral bleaching and that the chemical harms the phytoplankton at the bottom of the aquatic food chain. Phytoplankton is “like grass in a prairie. It’s analogous to that,” Shih told Civil Beat. See more at www.civilbeat.com

KA `OHANA O HONU`APO hosts Tutu & Keiki, its first 2013 Sunday in the Park family event, this Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Whittington Beach Park. Co-hosts are Tutu & Me Traveling Preschool and Hawaiian Civic Club of Ka`u. The event features Hawaiian activities, games and prizes. For more information and to volunteer, call 929-9891.