PUC Moves Toward Public Hearings on Refinery in Ka'ū
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Police & Park Seek Answers, Discourage Deadly Highway Racing Hawai‘i Volcanoes National The deadly crash on Hwy 11, allegedly car called for help from their friends. Their Park rangers and Hawai‘i related to full-moon midnight car racing friends crashed into the lava between mile- Police Department offi- between Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park posts 35 and 36 on Hwy 11 before reaching cials are looking for more and Pāhala, is the subject of a community the scene of the first accident. information on a deadly accident between Pāhala outreach to find out more about the accident Coincidentally, drivers of an ambu- and Volcano that may have and to discourage racing on the highways. lance, which happened to be transporting been related to late night The latest theory is that the crash on June 12 a patient from Ka‘ū Hospital to Hilo, dis- car racing. was precipitated by an earlier accident the covered the fatal accident near milepost Photo by Bobby Tucker same night at milepost 31, involving car rac- 35 around 1:30 a.m. and called for more ing. Allegedly, two youth in the first race- Deadly Racing, pg. 15 Volume 9, Number 9 The Good News of Ka‘ū, Hawaiʻi July, 2011 PUC Moves Toward Public Hearings on Refinery in Ka‘ū Where should public hearings be held concerning Hawaiian Electric Company’s proposal to raise rates across its customer base to help pay for the $350 million pro- posed refinery and biofuel crops farm near Pāhala? This is one of the questions before the state Public Utilities Commission, which is reviewing the plans of Hawaiian Electric and ‘Āina Koa Pono-Ka‘ū to produce biofuel here. Jeffrey T. Ono, executive director of the state Division of Consumer Advocacy, said hearings should be held on the Big Is- land, Maui, Lana‘i, Moloka‘i and O‘ahu – all places where electric rates are likely to rise to help pay for the Ka‘ū project. Ono submit- ted testimony on June 17 to the PUC, saying, “The HECO Companies’ proposed Biofuel Surcharge Provision intends to establish a new rate, fare or charge that will likely in- crease the overall amounts paid by the con- sumers or patrons in the HECO Companies’ service territories.” Ono wrote that his “recommendation is predicated on the belief that allowing public hearings would offer the customers likely to be impacted an opportunity to better educate themselves on the issues as well as to voice their testimonies on those issues.” HECO’s brief to the PUC argues that Hawai‘i law does not require a public hearing but states that it would support public hear- ings on O‘ahu and the Big Island should the A Summer of Learning Many summer programs engaged youth from Volcano to Miloli‘i, including the Lawa‘i ‘Ohana Camp (See Page 16), Hawai`i Vol- PUC decide to have them. canoes National Park training and employment (See Page 6). Here, a student learns to throw net at Miloli‘i. Photo by Kai‘ali‘i Kahele Refinery, pg. 3 Judge Florendo Rules in Favor of Kāwā Lands Becoming a Park The county has the right to steward Okuna legally sold two other sections to the towards them, defendants fail to set forth a Kāwā and to purchase an additional 550 Edmund C. Olson Trust, which purchased sufficient basis to find that title to the prop- acres there, according to a ruling by Judge them for the purpose of providing them to erty is in question. First of all, the 1840 Joseph P. Florendo, Jr. in June. He conclud- the county for coastal preservation. The area Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i ed that the owners selling the land to the has estuaries and many Hawaiian historic no longer governs the Hawai‘i State Legis- county for wildlife and beach preservation sites. lature, and the various constitutions of the showed clear title. The ruling helped the Abel Simeona Lui traveled around Ka‘ū Kingdom do not bind the government of the county toward meeting a June 30 deadline and told the press and community members state of Hawai‘i. Secondly, any defect in the ****ECRWSS Postal Boxholder to avoid losing $2.5 million in federal and that he is appealing the decision. Lui and his process of conveyance pursuant to the laws Also in this issue: P4 Business * P6 state funding for its second purchase there. followers, who oppose the park, said they of the Hawaiian Kingdom were subject to Pāhala * P7 Nā‘ālehu * P8 Kahuku * Another $1.4 million is coming from the are working on federal court cases and also review and objection in Okuna v. Apiki et P9 Event Calendar * P11 Sports * P12 county’s two-percent land fund. claimed that the Office of Hawaiian Affairs al. Finally, defendants have failed to present Sports Calendar * P16 Miloli‘i * P17 Florendo ruled that former owner is helping them to avoid eviction. any other material facts in dispute to plain- Religion * P18 Star Map * P19 Health * P20 Volcano * P22 Land Use * P23 Thomas Okuna legally sold one section at In his order, Florendo wrote, “Even tiff’s assertion that plaintiff is the owner of Classifieds *Inserts: Nā‘ālehu Market Kāwā to realtor Marcia Johnson who sold it when construing the defendant’s plead- the property.”♦ Weekly Flier to the county for a park. He also ruled that ings liberally, and in light most favorable MAHALO NUI LOA! on behalf of ‘O Ka‘ū Kākou, Bay Clinic, Inc. and the Ka‘ū Family Health Center Kamilyon Inc. Oliver Martin Kapoho Vacationland Orchid Isle Auto Ctr. Ka‘ū Andrade Contracting Pacific Quest Ka’u Electric, Inc. Pahala Plantation Cottages Ka’u Ice & Fishing Supply Peter Anderson Punaluu Bake Shop Abram’s Design ED Olson Trust Ka’u Local Products LLC Queen Liliuokalani Children Ctr. Affordable Auto Center Edwin & Marion Villanueva Ka’u Realty Reed & Jay Photography Alan Diemert Eleanor Powell Keith Sanderson Represenative Bob Herkes Alatan Ohana Eunice & Charles Hashimoto Keldon Sakata Rick & Patti Peterson All the Numerous Volunteers! Felipe Sales Keoki Kahumoku Rodney Kamei Anna Banana Frank Foods Kilauea Lodge Roger Blecher Auto Concepts Fun to Jump Kona Kona Trans Ron & Nadine Ebert B& E 76 Service Station Glenn Moses KTA Rush & Barb Rushto Bay Front Motors Gloria Geisendorfer KWXX Ryan’s Towing Bernice Searle Greg Larsen Lance Ako and Ohana Sarah Ferreira Bert Nishimoto Hana Hou Restaurant Leland Akamu Sea Mountain Golf Course Beth & Dale Northup Hawaii County Band Leo Norberte Senator Gil Kahele Bev Velazquez Hawaii Johns Inc. Lily Nagata Shaka’s Restaurant Big Island Candies Hawaii Life Flight Lorie Obra Sharron Faff Big Island Honda Hawaii Paper Products Lynette’s Hair Design Shipman Foundation Big Island Jewelers Hawaii Petroleum M/M Charles Sakamoto Short and Sweet Big Island Road Runners Hawaii Visitor’s Bureau M/M Iwao Yonemitsu State Farm Robert Shimabuku Big Isle Smile Health Pass Hawaii M/M Kensuke Miyahara Suisan Bill Doar HELCO M/M Kuniyoshi Arakaki Sumiko & Donna Hanoa BJ Penn & Ohana Hilo Hawaiian M/M Robert Yanagawa Sure Save Bob Tiburzi HI-Pal Joey Botelho M/M Takumi Shirakawa Suzuko Yamamoto Bradley Westervelt HMSA (Shannon Kinoshita) M/M Tokuichi Nakano Target Brian Baxter Home Depot M/M Toshiyuki Takaki The Land Office Café 100 HPM M/M Yogi The Na’alehu EMS/Firefighters Charlynn Jones Hunter’s of Hawaii Marge Hack Thomas Kraft Claudia Roman Irene Kohara Mary Sparkman Tokunaga’s Store Coconut Auto Repair Ironman Tek Mapon Masako Sakata Tom King Credit Cars Hawaii J Hedges/John A. Burns Masazo Farms Tony Perez Dave & Mary Carroll J. Hara Store Massage Support Team Tony Villegas Dave Garbez Jack Fisher May Doi Violet Yamamoto Dave Lassiter Jamie Gilmore Mayor Billy Kenoi Volcano Lava Rock Cafe Dean and Tissy Kaniho Jason Ferreira Mike Gleason Wallace Oki Dennis and Marge Elwell Jerry S. Whittaker Mike Tom West Hawaii Dental Diane Enovejas Joan & Kenneth Cudeback Misaki Takabayashi Willis P. Campbell Diane Farrar Josie Oakes Mufi Hannemann Winter Bird Golf Club Dina Shisler Ka ‘Ohana O Honu‘apo Nancy Lake Woods of Hawai‘i Donna and Art Cecil Kalaekilohana B&B Nani Kahuku Aina Ziebart/Big Island Car Wash Dorothy Kalua Kamaaina Kuts Ocean View Auto Parts Dream Machine Hawaii Kamaaina Motors Oceanview Partners LLC Page 2 July, 2011 www.kaucalendar.com • www.kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com The Ka‘ü Calendar Refinery, cont. from pg. 1 HECO’s Suggested Notice Ag Board Member Ha Takes on Biofuel Plan for Ka‘ū A sample public hearing notice prepared State Board of Agriculture member PUC said the county was too late. “What but calculated that growing crops and cut- by Hawaiian Electric suggests hearings in Richard Ha is taking on the Hawaiian Electric about the County’s responsibility to look af- ting trees to make liquid fuels to run electric Kona and Hilo and on O‘ahu. The proposed - ‘Āina Koa Pono proposal to build a refinery ter the best interests of the people?” asks Ha. plants would be uneconomical in Hawai‘i. hearing notice includes the following narra- up Wood Valley Road and biofuel farm He also points to HECO’s contention ‘Āina Koa Pono disagrees, contending tive written by Hawaiian Electric concerning between Pāhala and Nā‘ālehu. In his that the county has not stated the spe- it has new technology and that its refinery the proposed rate hikes: independent Hamakua Springs Coun- cific type of expertise, knowledge or will bring 300 construction jobs and a hun- “According to the Companies’ Appli- try Farms blog called Ha Ha Ha!, he experience it holds, nor how it relates dred permanent jobs to Pāhala.