Ka`u News Briefs March 29, 2013

Ka`u farmers and ranchers setting up at the state Capitol for yesterday's Ag Awareness Day.

KA`U FARMERS, RANCHERS, land managers, coffee brokers and retailers met members of the state Legislature and the public yesterday with booths at the annual Agricultural Awareness Day at the state Capitol in Honolulu, sponsored by Hawai`i Farm Bureau Federation. Phil Becker of Aikane Plantation Coffee, Lani and Bill Petrie of Kapapala Ranch and Chris Manfredi of Ka`u Farm Bureau joined in. Becker, who also represented the state Seal of Quality, said the presentation was very successful for Ka`u.

GMO LABELING PROPONENTS wound up in a scuffle after statewide Hawai`i Farm Bureau president Dean Okimoto covered their video camera with his hand while several Ka`u ranchers and farmers looked on. The encounter was shown on statewide television and posted on the Honolulu Star-Advertiser newspaper’s website. GMO labeling proponents said they visited legislators’ offices yesterday. Both Ka`u senators, Josh Green and Russell Ruderman, support GMO labeling, as does Rep. Denny Coffman.
      The labeling proponents were walking through the ag day display area at the state Capitol with a sign saying, “If we keep buying, they’ll keep selling,” when Okimoto told them, “We don’t appreciate being filmed.” and put his hand over the camera lens.

GMO labeling supporters' camera covered by Hawai`i Farm
Bureau president at yesterday's ag day.

      The Hawai`i Farm Bureau Federation and Hawai`i Crop Improvement Association have withheld support for GMO labeling and recently held an essay contest called “Views from the Farm” to drum up support for Genetically Modified Organisms. The winning essays came from Illinois, Oregon, North Dakota and Washington State and are posted on Hawai`i Crop Improvement Association’s website at www.hciaonline.com. Hawai`i Crop Improvement Association also posts breaking news with such headlines as GMO Protestors Would Accomplish More by Talking to the Companies, Genetic Engineering ‘Monster’ Exists only in Our Minds, and The Effects of Persecuting Biotechnology.
      In February, the state House Committee on Agriculture unanimously adopted HB174 to require all GMO produce imported into the state to be labeled. The locally grown Rainbow payaya would have been exempt, although these papayas are required by the Japan government to be labeled GMO when they are shipped there. The labeling bill for Hawai`i passed the House and moved to the Senate.
      However, last week, three Senate committees heard the bill and tabled it for further study.
      Ruderman said that this was the farthest any GMO labeling bill has gone in the state Legislature and gave Sen. Josh Green credit for making sure the bill went to a public hearing in the Senate. Regarding a proposed resolution to study GMO labeling, he said, “It is better than nothing, but not much.” Ruderman predicted that GMO labeling would become an important issue in the 2014 Hawai`i Legislature.

A RESOLUTION TO STUDY GMO LABELING passed the state Senate Committee on Agriculture and the Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection yesterday. It asks the University of Hawai`i Economic Research Organization to establish an economic model, conduct an economic impact study and submit a report on the economic impact of implementing a GMO labeling or GMO registration requirement on consumers, the local agricultural industry, and the state’s 2050 sustainability goals.
      The resolution also asks the state Department of Agriculture, in collaboration with the Departments of Health and Business, Economic Development & Tourism, to research and submit a report “examining whether implementing a GMO labeling or GMO registration regimen is practicable, including issues relating to ease of enforcement and administration of a labeling or registration requirement, and whether such a program would adversely affect the Hawai`i 2050 sustainability goals and determining how the preferred program, if any, should be implemented.”

IN TESTIMONY OPPOSING THE PROPOSAL for `Aina Koa Pono to sell biofuel that would be manufactured at a refinery off Wood Valley Road from crops grown between Pahala and Na`alehu to Hawai`i Electric Light Co., Life of the Land gave answers to questions about pricing posed by the state Public Utilities Commission. 

      To the question of whether the commission should approve the contract as reasonable and consistent with the public interest and the related contract costs, including the biodiesel, transportation, and storage costs, and related taxes, Life of the Land replied: “The price is not reasonable compared with other Hawai`i biofuel supply contracts.
      “The price is not reasonable compared with other baseload renewable energy options for the Island of Hawai`i. As the commencement date envisioned in this contract and in the current geothermal Request for Proposals are far off in the future, it is not unreasonable to require that if both are acceptable, they have to offer solutions in the same general price ballpark, which they do not.
      “But there is another and more troubling problem. In most biofuel proposals submitted to the Commission, the proposers have extensive biofuel and/or utility experience. The known AKP principals lack this knowledge base. Specific details in the submittals are redacted.”

      “Furthermore, the fact that the difference between AKP-1 and AKP-2 is the $100 million price tag that was to be saddled on the backs of O`ahu ratepayers, combined with the facts that HECO has not seen AKP’s books, and AKP will make multiple products which can be cross-subsidized, means that O`ahu ratepayers may still be overpaying for something that might or might not promote sustainable bio production operations.”
      To questions of whether the commission should approve as just and reasonable the inclusion of the cost differential between the biodiesel under the Biodiesel Supply Contract and the cost of the petroleum diesel that the biodiesel is replacing, Life of the Land replied:
      “There are two separate issues here. First, the cost differential is unreasonable since the contract itself is overpriced and thus unreasonable. Second, allowing multiple cost differentials for multiple biofuel supply contracts contradicts the spirit of competitive bidding. If the Commission does want to offer a cost differential, it should make it a uniform percentage available to all biofuel suppliers.
      “If biofuels are the most cost-effective baseload renewable energy resource, then there should be a generic surcharge, modified by specific cost analysis conducted in the individual biofuel contracts. However, in the absence of any analysis on whether biofuels are the most cost-effective way of increasing renewable energy baseload, a surcharge is not the way to proceed.
      Life of the Land says “this is especially relevant in the current doctrine” which it explains as “‘O`ahu has sun, wind, waves and a deep cold ocean for tourists, but lacks the same resources for generating renewable energy).’ This doctrine supports an entrenched political decision that one particular future scenario should be pre-selected as the winner.”
      This and other testimony, both pro and con, is available at puc.hawaii.gov. Docket number is 2012-0185.

Milton Pavao

MILTON PAVAO, RETIRED MANAGER and chief engineer for Hawai`i County Department of Water Supply, has been chosen by Gov. Neil Abercrombie to serve on the state Commission of Water Resource Management. The licensed professional engineer and earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from University of Hawai`i.
      The commission consists of seven members, with five members appointed by the governor. Appointments are subject to Senate confirmation. Pavao’s four-year term would begin July 1.

THE KAHUKU UNIT of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park hosts Lunch with a Ranger tomorrow. Participants bring a bag lunch and join rangers for an open discussion on topics ranging from land management and conservation issues to environmental and cultural history. 

      Drive through the Kahuku gate located on the mauka side of Hwy 11 near mile marker 70.5. Park and meet at the visitor contact tent near the ranch buildings. Check the activities board for the location and topic of the day.
      No advance reservation is required.

KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park celebrates Easter with an Easter Egg Hunt and brunch on Sunday. The egg hunt at 9 a.m. is for children 10 years old and under. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m., and participants should bring their own Easter baskets.
      Brunch takes place from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Crater Rim Café. Menu includes honey-glazed ham, beef pot roast, stuffed French toast with mango cream cheese filling, omelet station, breakfast meats, fresh fruit, ice cream bar and a beverage. $17.50 adults; $8.50 children 6 to 11. KMC is open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests, and park entrance fees apply. Call 967-8356 for more.

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, March 28, 2013

Royal Hawaiian Orchards released its first annual report since changing its name from ML Macadamis Orchards, LP
Photo by Julia Neal

ROYAL HAWAIIAN ORCHARDS yesterday released its annual report, the first since launching its new brand and changing its name from MLMacadamia Orchards, L.P. The Ka`u branch of the company farms 3,785 acres around Pahala and employs approximately 150 people, more than half of its islandwide workforce. Other orchards are located at Kea`au and north of Hilo at Mauna Kea.
      The company report says its 2012 farming operations were profitable, generating a net income of $521,000. The total 2012 revenue was $20.1 million, an increase of 12 percent over 2011, the report says, with nut sales up 12 percent and contract farming revenues up 6 percent. The Partnership was paid an average contract price of 77.4 cents per pound for mac nuts sold, according to the annual report.
      “In late 2012, the Partnership launched its own line of all-natural, ‘better for you,’ branded macadamia products in response to historically volatile macadamia pricing and to reduce its dependence on a single customer,” the company statement reports. That single customer was Mauna Loa for which long term contracts were expiring.

Royal Hawaiian promotes health, orchard to market, aloha and no GMO's. 

    According to the report, “Branded product sales were initiated in November 2012 and amounted to $91,000 for the year. This investment seeks to enable the Partnership to generate stable and attractive margins despite commodity price swings and is intended to increase unit holder value once critical mass is achieved. Approximately 7 million nut-in-shell pounds or 1.4 million pounds of kernel will become available, from expired sales contracts, for the Partnership to sell as branded or bulk macadamia nuts in 2013 and approximately 3.0 million kernel pounds will be available for sale in 2014.”
  The new www.royalhawaiianorchards.com says the products are gluten free and made without sulfites and artificial ingredients. It also brands them as non-GMO. Various tag lines include “Live Long, Live Well, Live Aloha” and “Find Your Balance.”
      The website promotes the similarity between macadamia oil and olive oil and its health benefits, along with the high protein content of mac nut products.
      According to a story in today’s Honolulu Star Advertiser, Royal Hawaiian plans to soon gain shelf space at ABC Stores, Foodland, Food Pantry, Longs and Walgreens. “The company expects to be in approximately 5,000 stores in Hawai`i and the western U.S. by the end of 2013,” the Star Advertiser says, quoting CEO Dennis Simonis: "We're very enthusiastic about the start. It's in the early stages and we think it's well positioned. They're very good products and everybody who has tried them has really enjoyed them. We're very optimistic."
      Among the new product line offerings are Hawaiian Barbecue, Maui Onion. Salt & Black Pepper, Sea Salt and Wasabi Soy snacks. Other snacks include nuts with dried fruit and Kona Coffee.

LEGISLATION ALLOWING USE OF PUBLIC SCHOOL LANDS for private development by leasing them for housing and commercial enterprise passed state Senate and House of Representatives committees yesterday. Numerous groups, from contractors to unions, Gov. Neil Abercrombie and state agencies submitted testimony supporting the measure, contending it will bring in money needed to ugrade schools. Various educational groups testified to “underutilized school lands,” aging facilities, and the need for 21st Century School design.

Ka`u High & Pahala Elementary & Intermediate School Campus will see construction starting soon, but for a gym and
 disaster shelter for students and the community. Photo by Julia Neal

      Opponents predicted that places like Waikiki where the land is the most expensive will lose school playgrounds, school gardens and precious open space.
      Liz Larson testified: “As a mother of two children who go to Jefferson Elementary School, I am deeply concerned that the land that is precious to our community and treasured by the school, parents, and children will be taken away permanently. lf a high rise structure is developed on the property of Jefferson Elementary School (in Waikiki), the land will never be reclaimed for the children.
      “You cannot put a price tag on the value of the outdoor instruction, gardening, and scientific discovery that my children experience daily because of the programs Jefferson Elementary School is able to provide because of the land. “Raising children in the city in a small one bedroom apartment, I understand first-hand how important this open space is to the children and to the community of Waikiki……One unintended consequence of the bill will be that inner city schools, such as Jefferson Elementary School, will be targeted even though land and open space is most needed by the children and citizens of those communities.
      “The lack of local community and parent involvement in the decision making of our schools comes from the centralized nature of the school system in Hawai`i. This bill only highlights the problems that already exist in a centralized school system that discourages local participation by not allowing the public to even know which two schools are being considered for redevelopment.
      She said she also opposes the measure “because revenues generated from the pilot schools will be put into a Twenty-first century schools special revolving fund. The system of dispersal of these funds is not transparent and funds can be arbitrarily dispersed at the discretion of the DOE and the school board.
     "The best investment for our future is in our children. School land should be used for the purpose of educating our children. Once the land has been developed for other purposes such as housing, it will be forever lost.”
      Sharon Wileford testified: “As a 30- year Department of Eduation/Hawai`i teacher - The Land should be kept for the children! Where will they play? Not enough exercise -they need to learn to plant gardens - use it for education not profit!”
      Jeannine Johnson testified: “As a Hawaiian I am used to this. As a parent, I am appalled at the audacity of our government officials. I know the reason is because none of you send your children to public schools and therefore don’t care that my keiki won’t have playgrounds, playing fields and room to run around. So I ask you, in all fairness, would you force this on Punahou students? If your answer to that is no, your vote must be no to SB237, SD2.”
      Some opponents compared it to the Public Lands Development Corp. which received a slew of opposition over the last year for planning to lease out state lands to developers.
      Lisa Andrews wrote: “No way. Take your hands off our public school lands. Hawai'i children need open space to roam, exercise, and grow. No more PLDCs - you don't fool us anymore. We are watching. Pay attention to the legacy you are creating.”
      Todd Andrews testified: “Kids need to learn about where their food comes from by farming the land around their schools. Exercise, skills, aina awareness, environment awareness, opportunity to grow healthy food, etc. No PLDC.”
      Janice Palama-Glenlie testified: “How can legislators -- representatives of the People -- continue to support PLDC look- alikes, which is what privatizing our schools is? please oppose bills that are good for corporations and bad for People. Mahalo.”

Pelekapu Dedman fights aerial hunting with his Pele Defense Fund.
Photo from Pele Defense Fund

AERIAL HUNTING to rid natural areas of ungulates, like sheep, goats and pigs, received strong testimony yesterday at the County Council’s committee meeting on agriculture water and energy sustainability. According to a story in this morning’s Hawai`i Tribune Herald, Palikapu Dedman, President of the Pele Defense Fund, supports a ban on aerial hunting, and pointed out that the state Department of Land & Natural Resources is filing suit to prevent the ban. The County Council passed the ban last year.
      However, aerial hunting is used by the state to reach remote areas to kill the ungulates which are considered a danger to the native forest and its rare plants and animals, as well as the watershed. Hunters have testified that they want to be the ones to hunt the animals to provide food for their families.
      Pele Defense Fund announced last November that it filed a suit against the DLNR, which fences out ungulates from protected areas. Pele Defense Fund is also attempting to prevent fencing of thousands of acres in the Ka`u Forest Reserve. Dedman said that native rights, land tenure, hunting and subsistence living should be given more weight in such decisions. See more on Erin Miller’s coverage of the council meetings at www.hawaiitribune-herald.com

REOPENING OF KULANI PRISON was taken up by the County Council’s Committee on Public Safety and Transportation, chaired by Ka`u council member Brenda Ford. According to a story in this morning’s West Hawai`i Today, Public Safety Director Ted Sakai said a Pu`uhonua program that would be low security and allow for reintegration into the community would be helpful. A man recently released from prison testified that the jails are like revolving doors and the inmates need training and rehabilitation. The committee plans to draft a resolution supporting the state plan to reopen Kulani, according to the Erin Miller report. See more at www.westhawaiitoday.com.

Last humpback whale count of the season is Saturday.
Photo from NOAA

SOUTHSIDE VOLLEYBALL BOYS won their division, 14-and under last night at the annual Haili Volleyball Tournament in Hilo. The team, coached by Guy Enriques, won all six games this week. Team members are: Nai`a Makuakane, Adison Enriques, Avery Enriques, Cameron Moses, Abi Campbell, Tristen Cross, Logan Thomas, Chase Carter and Nakana Nakana.

THE LAST HUMPBACK WHALE COUNT of the year is this Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at South Point, Punalu`u Black Sand Beach and Ka`ena Point at the end of Chain of Craters Road in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Sign up at sanctuaryoceancount.org.

EASTER EGG HUNT will be held this Sunday, March 30 at Kilauea Military Camp for children ten years of age and under. Bring Easter baskets. Register at 967-8352.

Ka`u News Briefs March 27, 2013

Testimony from a consultant for the state Consumer Advocate says emissions associated with HECO's use of `Aina Koa
Pono biofuel would be at most one-third of the emissions associated with HECO's use of fuel oil. Image from AKP

LEASING PUBLIC SCHOOL LANDS to commercial entities is the topic of a bill being heard by state legislative committees today. SB 237 SD2 establishes a three-year pilot program to generate revenue for improvement to public school facilities and infrastructure “to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century and to improve the overall quality of education in Hawai`i. The pilot program will lay groundwork for a statewide approach and plan to optimize public school lands and modernize public school facilities,” the bill states.

Sen. Russell Ruderman

      “The considerable amount of underused public school lands on the state’s 257 school campuses is an untapped resource that would provide infrastructure that could make classrooms, campuses, and communities suitable for the twenty-first century,” the bill says. “A preliminary review by a real estate expert indicates that ten parcels that have unused lands are valued at $120,000,000 under existing surrounding uses. These lands could be developed solely for the benefit of Hawai`i’s public school children. The beneficiaries would be the children of Hawai`i.”
      All proceeds generated from the lease of public school lands would go into a fund used to build or upgrade school facilities.
      The bill is moving through the Legislature at the same time as other bills calling for repeal of a law establishing of the Public Lands Development Corp., which was created by the Legislature in 2011 to develop state lands and generate revenues for the Department of Land and Natural Resources.
      Sen. Russell Ruderman is one of the introducers of the bill. He explained his support for the bill leasing public school lands at a talk story session in Pahala recently, saying the program is very limited in scope and that it makes sense to generate funds on state school properties that have a high value and are under-used. His staff said he is reviewing the latest rendition of the bill today to decide whether to continue his support.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard

A BILL PREVENTING a federal government shutdown next week has passed Congress with significant bipartisan support, passing with a vote of 318-109.
      Rep. Tulsi Gabbard praised both parties coming together “to ensure that greater flexibility in funding was provided to the Department of Defense, as well as addressing some domestic priorities like agriculture, public safety, and rural development.”
      The bill reinstates Department of Defense tuition assistance education programs that were initially suspended due to across-the-board cuts, which were put into effect earlier this month. “These earned educational benefits exist to ensure our troops gain further leadership skills and to set them up for success upon their eventual transition from military to civilian life,” Gabbard said. “Our service members have made tremendous personal sacrifices for our country. This is a step toward ensuring they are properly served in return.”
      Gabbard said “there is still much work to be done to ensure we are protecting and serving those most in need. As we plan for our long-term future, I will continue to push for common-sense initiatives that strike a balance between targeted spending cuts and closing tax loopholes for special interests.”
      The bill, which funds the federal government through the end of the fiscal year, now goes to President Barack Obama for his signature.

THE `AINA KOA PONO PROJECT “has many of the characteristics of an environmentally sustainable process,” testified Patrick Luckow, an energy consultant hired by the state Consumer Advocate to submit testimony to the Public Utilities Commission regarding the proposed contract for AKP to sell biofuel refined near Wood Valley from crops grown between Pahala and Na`alehu to Hawaiian Electric Co. and Hawai`i Electric Light Co. Luckow, an associate with Synapse Energy Economics, of Massachusetts, conducts research focusing on a variety of issues related to electric utilities, including integrated resource planning, federal and state clean air policies, emissions from electricity generation and electrical system dispatch. He also performs modeling analyses of electric power systems. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Northwestern University and a Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering from University of Maryland.

      “The fact that the feedstock will be grown on former sugarcane land is positive, as intensively managed soils typically have lower terrestrial carbon stocks,” Luckow testifies. “Research has shown gains in soil and above-ground carbon with certain biofuel feedstocks, although the re-establishment of native and invasive grasses and Christmas berry trees may have improved soil conditions in recent years. Once a final feedstock is chosen, it will be important to conduct an updated assessment of the net change in soil carbon as a result of this project.”
      Luckow claims that biochar, a by-product of refining biofuel, is another benefit that contributes to the projects sustainability. “In addition to helping soils retain water and nutrients, biochar holds onto its carbon for hundreds of years,” Luckow says. “Sequestering carbon through the use of biochar as a soil amendment has been explored recently as a cost-effective way to offset greenhouse gas emissions.”
      Luckow discusses greenhouse gas emissions associated with production and use of the biofuels HELCO is proposing to acquire from the project. He says he relied on “the Company’s application, its responses to various information requests and relevant recent studies on the use of biomass and biofuels” to draw his conclusions.
      Luckow testifies that “generating electricity from biomass and biofuels that are well tracked and produced in a sustainable manner can produce lower emissions of carbon than generating electricity from conventional fossil fuels such as diesel, low sulfur fuel oil, natural gas and coal. Various studies, based on long-term economic models of energy use, have shown that it is more cost-effective to reduce carbon emissions substantially through strategies that include biomass and biofuels than through strategies that do not include those resources.

      “In the electricity sector, biomass and biofuels help improve the cost effectiveness of these strategies because they produce electricity in a consistent, dispatchable manner and because they can be shipped over long distances using existing transportation infrastructure.
      “In order for biomass and biofuels to play this important role, they must be produced in a sustainable manner. In particular, for each proposed source of biomass and biofuels, one must identify the carbon emissions at each stage of production and use, including emissions from the use of the land to produce the feedstocks and emissions resulting from any activities displaced from that land. It is important to consider both the carbon absorption and the carbon emissions associated with biomass production – absorption in order to give accurate credit to biomass and emissions from land use to prevent unjustified clearing of land.”
      Luckow estimates that emissions associated with HECO’s use of biofuel would be at most one-third of the emissions associated with HECO’s use of fuel oil. He says that a report prepared by Eichleay Engineers, Inc. over-estimates benefits associated with use of biofuels. The report includes emissions associated with feedstock production, conversion to biofuels and transport of biofuel to the power plant but does not include an estimate of greenhouse gas emissions associated with combustion of biofuel at Keahole power plant, Luckow says. However, he claims that even after those emissions are included, they would be considerably less than the emissions associated with HELCO’s use of diesel.
      This and other testimony is available at puc.hawaii.gov. Docket number is 2012-0185.

Front row l-r: Wen-Jing Yang, Marileah Lalin, Romina Sembran, Wen-
Hui Yang. Back row l-r: Jemy-Ray Palancia, Carlos Uribe-Buonus,
Coach Hi`ilani Lapera, William Mitchell, Andrew Garcia.
Photo courtesy of Ka`u High School Yearbook

TRAINING FOR MEMBERS and potential members of Ka`u Ag Water Cooperative District takes place today at Pahala Community Center from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
      Another workshop for co-op board members takes place tomorrow from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Ka`u Coffee Mill.
      The workshops present basics of co-op membership and board directorship.
      For more information, email mbondera@kohalacenter.org.

IN SPORTS, MEMBERS OF KA`U HIGH varsity tennis team reported wins against Kea`au and St. Joseph’s this month. Trojan Andrew Garcia, playing in boys team second singles, defeated Pahoa (6-4, 6-4), as well as St. Joseph’s (6-3, 6-4). Senior Jemy-Ray Palancia competes in boys team first singles and shut out St. Joseph’s 6-0 and 6-2. Ka`u’s girls second singles player Wen-Jing Yang emerged victorious versus Kea`au. Scores were 6-4 and 6-2. Hi`ilani Lapera, longtime coach for Ka`u High bowling, has stepped up as coach for Trojan tennis.

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.