Ka`u News Briefs March 14, 2013

A Hawaiian monk seal visited Green Sands Beach yesterday. Wildlife officials ask that the public stay away. She may
be pregnant. Photo by Brady Barrows

PHOTOVOLTAIC INSTALLATIONS are planned for Hawaiian Ocean View Ranchos, according to Jeremy Staat, of Ohana Solar Power, LLC. Staat said this morning that his company has invested $10 to $12 million in fee-simple properties in Hawai`i, technology and proposals to the electric utilities. He said he is waiting for approvals from the state Public Utilities Commission and Hawai`i Electric Light Co. for the Ranchos project in Hawai`i.
      Staat said his company plans solar on three islands and owns 20 lots in Ranchos. Filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission under Solar Hub Utilities show that building permits were issued for all 20 lots in early 2012.

A veteran of the Marines and the NFL, Jeremy Staat plans solar in
Ranchos. Photo from nflplayers.com

     “Unfortunately, we are stuck in dealing with Hawaiian Electric Co. and the PUC after they invited us to put in these projects,” he said.
      The proposed locations of the solar installations are on Maikai Boulevard, Kahili Boulevard, Lanikai Drive, Li`i Boulevard, Kona Kai Boulevard, Macadamia Drive, and Poha Drive.
      Don Nitsche, a member of Hawaiian Ranchos Road Maintenance Corp. and the Ranchos Community Association, said this morning that both groups are interested in learning more about the project. Residents also asked whether the utility would also allow them to put solar systems on their properties and feed back into the grid.
      Ohana Solar Power, LLC is listed as a Nevada company with its principal Jeremy Staat, of Bakersfield, California. Staat is a former professional football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the St. Louis Rams. More recently, he served in Iraq as a U.S. Marine. He earned a degree from Arizona State University, where he was roommate and friend with Pat Tillman, an NFL player who joined the Marines and was killed in Afghanistan. Staat heads the Jeremy Staat Foundation. See his community work at www.jeremystaatfoundation.org.

KA`U’S CATHOLIC CHURCH MEMBERS are celebrating the selection yesterday of the new pope for the 1.2 billion Catholic congregation worldwide. Of Italian heritage and a speaker of the Italian language, Pope Francis, whose given name is Jorge Mario Bergoglio, comes from Argentina. He is the only non-European named pope in more than 1,200 years.
      Pope Francis is known as pastoral and for living simply in an apartment rather than a cardinal’s official residence. In Argentina, he frequently chooses to take the bus over a cardinal vehicle. All eyes are on the popemobile to see how often he rides it.
      After being selected on Wednesday, Pope Francis greeted the 114 cardinals on the floor at the Vatican rather than sitting on the pope’s throne.
      With a reputation of being humble, Pope Francis is expected to maintain a conservative approach to the Catholic Church, shying away from support of gay marriage and adoptions of children by gay couples. Pope Francis has managed Catholic institutions in Argentina and never worked in the Vatican. He is considered an outsider of the politics of the Vatican in Europe.
      Father Martin, the Catholic priest for Na`alehu and Pahala, also comes from outside the world of the Vatican. He is originally from Africa and is expected to address the selection of the new pope at services in Na`alehu and Pahala.

The old spaceport idea for Ka`u was exhumed in the state Legislature
and in the press last week. Image from capitol.hawaii.gov

THE OLD SPACEPORT IDEA FOR KA`U was exhumed last week at the state Legislature and in the press with discussions of space travel and research possibilities for Hawai`i. Erin Miller, of West Hawai`i Today, however, reported yesterday that Mayor Billy Kenoi said, “We’re far, far away from any approvals” for rocket and satellite launching facilities. In 1994, wrote Miller, the mayor, then a law student, joined in the opposition to a launch facility proposed by C. Brewer in Ka`u. According to the West Hawai`i Today story, the mayor said the Environmental Impact Statement was inadequate. Kenoi told the reporter that he would have to see a specific proposal before giving any new consideration to space launch facilities on the Big Island, West Hawai`i Today reported. See www.westhawaiitoday.com.

NAMING SADDLE ROAD for Sen. Daniel Inouye received a kanalua vote from Ka`u’s County Council member Brenda Ford this week, meaning she has reservations. During Council deliberations, Ford noted that county ordinances require street names to be in Hawaiian and that several constituents had reminded her. The Council voted unanimously, however, to support the state highway being renamed Daniel K. Inouye Memorial Highway in honor of the late and long-serving U.S. senator.

PAYING DOCTORS TO SPEAK on behalf of drug companies is not something physician and West Ka`u Senator Josh Green supports. In a West Hawai`i Today story by Erin Miller, Green said that he has never been comfortable drug companies buying expensive meals or rounds of golf for doctors. People already distrust the medical system, and those actions don’t increase anyone’s trust, he said. “That’s pure corruption,” Green told West Hawai`i Today. “They’re buying a hired gun.” The story reports on Big Island doctors receiving speaking fees from drug companies. See www.westhawaiitoday.com.

UH pharmacy students will hold a health screening fair at Miloli`i
this Saturday.

MILOLI`I IS U.H. PHARMACY STUDENTS’ destination on Saturday, when they will hold a health fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for anyone to receive health screenings for blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol and weight. Education will be on diabetes, women’s health, heart health and pharmacy. Family fun will include a keiki sport camp, Easter Egg Hunt, raffle giveaways and keiki crafts. The event is sponsored by the University of Hawai`i-Hilo College of Pharmacy Phi Delta Chi Hawai`i Chapter.

PAHALA PUBLIC & SCHOOL LIBRARY is sponsoring a haiku poetry-writing contest as part of its 50th anniversary. Deadline for Ka`u High and Pahala Elementary School students to enter the contest is 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 27. Students will read their poems, and prizes will be awarded, at a celebration on Friday, April 19 during National Library Week. For more information about the contest, see Debbie Wong Yuen at the library or call 928-2015.
      The celebration begins at 10:30 a.m. with performances throughout the day by local hula halau, students of Ka`u High and Pahala Elementary School and craft demonstrations by the Hawaiian Civic Club of Ka`u. There will also be contests, door prizes and refreshments.
      Throughout National Library Week, Friends of Ka`u Libraries will have a book sale. Donations of good used books are welcomed to help with the book sale. Monies raised help support both Pahala Public &School Library and Na`alehu Public Library with programs and materials. Donations can be dropped off at both libraries.
      Wong Yuen encourages everyone to support Pahala Public &School Library by using it often. While it is currently open on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Plans are in the works to be open five days a week and longer hours. On Friday afternoons a free movie matinee begins at 2 p.m.

DISCOVERY HARBOUR COMMUNITY CENTER is taking donations today for its bi-annual rummage sale tomorrow and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Proceeds are used to purchase equipment for the volunteer fire department. For more information, call Suzanne at 929-9576.

A CONCERT AT PAHALA PLANTATION HOUSE Saturday features piligrass music when Aloha Bluegrass Band and Keoki Kahumoku perform at 7:30 p.m. Suggested donation is $15 to $20. For more information, call 938-6582.

KAHUKU UNIT OF HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK offers free hikes and other programs on weekends this month.
      On Saturday, a guided 2.6-mile hike explores Palm Trail, crossing scenic pasture along an ancient cinder cone with some of the best panoramic views Kahuku has to offer. The relatively easy, three-hour hike begins at 9:30 a.m.
      Lunch with a Ranger takes place Sunday, March 17 and Saturday, March 30 at 11:30 a.m. Rangers choose varied topics and guide an open discussion with visitors over a bring-your-own-bag lunch. Check Activities Boards at Kahuku Visitor Greeting Area for the day’s topic and location.
      Registration is required for Ka`u `Ohana Day on Saturday, March 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Participants explore Palm Trail by GPS and compass. The free event includes lunch and cultural craft demonstrations. Call 985-6019.

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 13, 2013

Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park ranger Dean Gallagher presents Life on the Edge. The fifth anniversary of continuous
eruption at Halema`uma`u Crater is next Tuesday, March 19. Photo from NPS

KA`U FARM BUREAU is hoping that legislation will pass to help with agricultural irrigation and the coffee berry borer battle. Ka`u Farm Bureau president Chris Manfredi said at this week’s meeting that HB1263 crossed over to the Senate and would provide more funds for fixing up the old Ka`u sugar water system that was originally used to transport sugar cane to the mill but would be used in the future for irrigation for diversified agriculture. He said this morning that coffee berry borer measures passed the Senate agriculture committee yesterday, with $3000,000 for the CBB Task Force and $500,000 for CBB research.
     During Monday's Ka`u Farm Bureau meeting, Manfredi said the Farm Bureau also supports allowing farmers to construct small agricultural buildings without going through the permitting process. Another bill would prevent state agricultural leases from being priced at the “highest and best use” rather than for farming. The Farm Bureau is concerned about House Bill 903 that would consider soil a possible pollutant when it runs off into waterways, he reported.

Ka`u Farm Bureau is hoping that legislation to help fight
the coffee berry borer will pass.

      Statewide Hawai`i Farm Bureau initiatives alive at the 2013 Hawai`i Legislature:

• HB486, HD1 would appropriate funds to the Department of Education and the University of Hawai`i to operate and implement the Future Farmers of America and 4-H programs. 
• HB487 HD2 and SB593 SD2 would expand livestock feed subsidy to include feed for goats, sheep, lambs, fish and crustaceans. It would create a subsidy for qualified feed developers. 
• HB488 HD1 would require valuation of public agricultural or aquacultural land to be based on the land’s agricultural or aquacultural use, economic considerations, relevant risk factors and societal benefits. 
• HB489 HD1 and SB 586 SD1 would provide, under certain circumstances, an exemption from building code and permit requirements for nonresidential buildings or structures on farms. 
• HB1263 HD2 provides, under certain circumstances, an exemption from building code and permit requirements for nonresidential buildings or structures on farms. 

LOCAL FOOD COALITION BILLS supported by the Farm Bureau that are alive in the 2013 Hawai`i Legislature:

• SB5 SD1 would provide several means of compensation in addition to rent reductions when the state withdraws, condemns, or takes public land leased for intensive agricultural or pastoral uses and renders the land unusable for the original purposes of the lease. 
• SB974 SD2 would assist agricultural enterprises in the state by authorizing the state to issue special purpose revenue bonds for their benefit. 
• HB747 HD1 would exempt from the general excise tax amounts received for the slaughter and processing of poultry and livestock. 

HAWAI`I DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE BILLS supported by the Farm Bureau that are alive at the 2013 Hawai`i Legislature:

• HB857 HD2 would reallocate the Barrel Tax. It would repeal the sunset date of the Barrel Tax and provide appropriations for the anticipated additional revenues. 
• SB991 SD2 HD2 would exempt the purchase of fresh meats and produce and animals and plants by any governmental body from the Hawai`i Public Procurement Code. 
• SB992 SD2 would allow for agricultural loans to be administered for livestock biosecurity projects. 
• SB993 SD2 would modify the new farmer loan program of the Department of Agriculture to promote development of innovative technologies and to assist new farm enterprises. 
• SB995 would allow for an engineering program administrator to oversee the responsibilities mandated by chapter 167, Hawai`i Revised Statutes, for irrigation water development.

      These and other bills being considered by the Legislature can be tracked at hawaii.gov.

One month after the vent within Halema`uma`u Crater opened in 2008,
it was about 115 feet in diameter. Photos from USGS

KILAUEA VOLCANO’S SUMMIT ERUPTION within Halema`uma`u Crater marks its fifth year of continuous activity on Tuesday, March 19. Rangers at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park will offer Life on the Edge talks at Jaggar Museum observation deck overlooking the fuming, enlarging summit vent. The 20-minute talks at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. encompass the dramatic geological and mythological history of Halema`uma`u Crater.
      Kilauea’s summit vent opened at 2:58 a.m., HST, on March 19, 2008, when an explosive eruption created a gaping hole about 115 feet wide on the south wall of Halema`uma`u Crater. Nighttime glow from this hole suggested the presence of molten lava, but it wasn’t until six months later that a lake of roiling lava deep within the vent was definitively observed by U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists.
      With the opening of Halema`uma`u vent, already high summit sulfur dioxide gas emission rates increased even more, resulting in increased vog downwind. Although the summit SO2 emissions have declined since 2008, they are still averaging 800-1,200 tons per day, creating hazardous conditions along closed sections of the park’s Crater Rim Drive and intermittent poor air quality farther downwind of the vent.

As of this month, the vent is more than 500 feet across.

      Since 2008, rock collapses within the vent have enlarged its opening on the floor of Halema`uma`u Crater. The vent is now about 520 feet by 700 feet (the area of about 21 Olympic-sized pools), and, according to HVO scientist-in-charge Jim Kauahikaua, is likely to continue growing through further collapses of overhung sections of the vent rim.
      Kauahikaua described the lava within the vent as a continuously circulating gas-rich “foam” that rises and falls depending on changes in Kilauea’s subsurface magma pressure. The lava lake reached its highest level to date on Oct. 26, 2012, when the lava surface rose to within 72 feet of the vent rim.
      While the actual lava lake is not visible from safe viewing areas, its glow — the diffusion of incandescent lava light within the gas plume rising from the vent — is easily observed from Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park overlooks on clear nights. When the lava lake level is especially high, park visitors can sometimes hear sharp sounds as rocks in the vent wall expand and crack due to increased heat.
      “The amazing beauty of this eruption, and the ease of viewing opportunities within Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, provide both visitors and residents with unforgettable experiences,” said park superintendent Cindy Orlando. “Where else in the world can you park your car and walk just a few feet to behold the spectacle of one of the world’s most active volcanoes?”
      Jaggar Museum and the overlook are wheelchair- and stroller-accessible. Other vantage points for viewing Halema`uma`u within the park include Kilauea Overlook, Kilauea Iki Overlook and Keanakako`i Overlook.
      The summit eruption, Kilauea’s second longest since the early 1900s, can also be experienced through photos, videos, and webcam images posted on HVO’s website at http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov.

Funds raised at this weekend's rummage sale will be used
to purchase equipment for volunteer firefighters.

DONATIONS ARE BEING TAKEN today and Thursday for Discovery Harbour Community Center’s rummage sale this Friday through Sunday that raises money to support the local volunteer fire department. 

HAWAI`I WILDLIFE FUND holds another Ka`u Coast Cleanup this Saturday. Sign up with Megan Lamson at kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com or 769-7629.

ALOHA BLUEGRASS BAND and Keoki Kahumoku present a piligrass concert Saturday at Pahala Plantation House. Bluegrass meets Hawaiian music at 7:30 p.m. Suggested donation is $15 - $20. For more information, call 938-6582.

Julie Dobbs presents two one-act plays by Tennessee
Williams at Pahala Plantation House Sunday, March 24.

TWO BY TENN WITH TEA, an afternoon performance of two rarely performed one-act plays written by Tennessee Williams, takes place at Pahala Plantation House Sunday, March 24 at 3 p.m. In what director Julie Dobbs describes as a “fragile mood piece” entitled Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen, Arlene Araki and Dick Hershberger, of Ocean View, portray a man and woman rooted hopelessly in an unchanging present. I Can’t Imagine Tomorrow, the second play, also features Araki and Hershberger in what Dobbs calls “a variation on the theme of the passage toward death; of endured, but unendurable, pain.”
      Tea and cookies will be served. Suggested donation is $5 per person.

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 12, 2013

Aloha Bluegrass Band, with Tyson Alteri, performs Saturday evening at Pahala Plantation House.

TRANSPARENCY IN ENERGY CONTRACTS between the utilities and providers of fuel, wind, geothermal and other energy sources is the aim of House Bill 1405 in the state House of Representatives that goes to public hearing on Thursday. An amended bill, HB1405 HD2, would provide transparency only through listing contract prices for the previous year in the annual reports of the Public Utilities Commission.

      Henry Curtis, executive director of Life of the Land, the energy, environmental and community action group, said his organization submits testimony in it mission “to preserve and protect the life of the land through sound energy and land use policies and to promote open government through research, education, advocacy and, when necessary, litigation.”
      The organization is an intervener in the `Aina Koa Pono proposal that would raise electric rates on the Big Island and O`ahu. `Aina Koa Pono proposes to use more than 10,000 acres between Pahala and Na`alehu to harvest trees, brush and grasses for a microwave refinery it would build off Wood Valley Road. The company declines to reveal details of pricing and projections of how much money it would make if the PUC approves a 20-year, fixed-price contract between Hawai`i Electric Light Co. and Hawaiian Electric Co. and AKP. The projected price of the diesel would be about $200 a barrel, according to estimates from the County of Hawai`i, which is also arguing the case, saying it does not want a hike in electric bills.
      Here is Life of the Land’s testimony on the transparency bill before the Legislature:
      “Imagine walking into an auto dealership and falling in love with a car. You ask: How much does that car cost? The salesman says: ‘I can’t tell you, but compared to your other choices, over the lifetime of the vehicle, based on my assumptions, you are getting a heck of a deal!’

      “Sounds kind of crazy, huh? But that is the scam in the recent rise in electricity rates. In 2011 HECO-HELCO-`Aina Koa Pono proposed a biofuel supply contract to the Public Utilities Commission. AKP didn’t know what crop they were going to grow. HECO was unwilling to publicly say when the commencement date was. AKP planned to use non-commercialized experimental microwave technology. The proposal redacted (blacked out) AKP’s management skills. And the price was secret.
      “It turned out that HECO/HELCO were asking O`ahu and Big Island residents to pay the highest rate for energy ever proposed in this state. HECO/HELCO wanted to give AKP a quarter of a billion dollars ($250,000,000.00) over HELCO’s avoided cost.
      “The reason that HECO wanted to keep the price secret was, so they claim, so that ratepayers would get the best deal. Some deal! It was more than any other biofuel supplier would get. It was a great deal for the politically connected AKP.

Chart from Life of the Land

      “The PUC rejected the proposed contract. Now HECO-HELCO-AKP have proposed a new and improved contract with a new and improved secret price. HECO has requested that the PUC keep the price confidential.
      “Well guess what? We live in a democracy. Sure, while negotiations are going on, we think the prices should be made public. But, okay, we can live with secret prices during the regulatory phase. But once the Public Utilities Commission has approved the contract we should be able to see the prices we will pay, and to see if the PUC has protected our interests.

      “HB1405 would have made the prices public after the contract was approved. HB1405 HD2 would only require the PUC to add a new piece of information to their seldom read annual report, namely “a summary of power purchase agreements, including pricing, in effect during the fiscal year.”
      “Thus if in 2013 the PUC approves a biofuel contract, but it doesn’t take affect until 2019, the PUC could file a half-dozen annual reports saying their is no ratepayer impact, and then in 2019 when the rates take off, the new PUC could say, it wasn’t us.
      “On March 7, 2013 at an energy stakeholder meeting, the PUC chair (Mina Morita) opened the meeting: ‘As many of you know with our invitation you also received a survey, and here’s what I learned from the survey. 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.
      ‘So as the PUC enters 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, and today’s discussion is the first step in that direction.’
      Life of the Land completed its testimony by urging the Legislature to let ratepayers know what they are paying for different energy sources. “Please require the PUC to post the full pricing scheme after the contract has been approved.”

Hawai`i Sierra Club logo

      The Sierra Club also supports HB1405, “allowing ratepayers to know the terms by which their electrical prices are set. Transparency ensures greater competition, greater accountability, and the ability to ensure smart decisions are being made. Publishing documents that dictate how millions of dollars of ratepayer funds are spent is not just smart policy, but a core principle of a democratic society.”
      Blue Planet Foundation also submitted testimony on the transparency bill and requested an amendment “to promote transparency for all power purchase agreements, rather than just to agreements for the purchase of energy from non-fossil fuel sources.
      States Blue Planet, “Public energy utilities in Hawai`i are a regulated monopoly. Thus, utilities gain no competitive advantage from keeping their costs proprietary, and the public has an important interest in disclosure of those costs. As a result, there is no justifiable reason for power purchase agreements to remain hidden from the rate-paying public. Indeed, increased market transparency will allow our energy market to operate more efficiently, leading to fairer opportunities for power producers, and leading to better rates for consumers. For this reason, Blue Planet supports HB1405.

      “However, we believe that power purchase agreements should be transparent irrespective of whether they are for the purchase of clean power, or whether they relate to the existing agreements for fossil fuel-generated power,” testifies Blue Planet.
      The state Consumer Advocate, the PUC chair, the chair of the Department of Business, Tourism & Economic Development and Hawaiian Electric Co. all testify that they either support or appreciate the intent of the bill but would allow some of the pricing information to remain private to allow competition for lower prices during negotiations.
      Testimony from citizens, groups and businesses can be submitted by going to http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/ and search for HB1405 HD2. Testimony from all parties is posted there.

WALK-IN REGISTRATION will be available for the Food Business Basics workshop tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Pahala Community Center when value-added and specialty foods consultant Lou Cooperhouse provides information to farmers who want to sell a product to the public, entrepreneurs and restaurateurs interested in diversifying their revenue streams with specialty food products and established producers looking to take their food businesses to the next level. See laulimacenter.org/foodbasics.html.

Rion Schmidt on banjo.

Katy Rexford on fiddle.

DONATIONS ARE BEING TAKEN tomorrow and Thursday for a huge rummage sale Friday through Sunday at Discovery Harbour Community Center. The bi-annual sale raises money to support the local volunteer fire department.

A PILIGRASS CONCERT takes place Saturday at Pahala Plantation House. Bluegrass meets Hawaiian Music when 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.