More than a year after the Hawai`i Supreme Court heard oral arguments, it has issued its decision in Patrickson v. Dole, a case that revolves around harm to Central American workers exposed to DBCP, or dibromochloropropane. That chemical was widely … Continued
Plans to make the Whitmore area in North O`ahu the island’s agricultural hub — complete with processing facilities, an agribusiness-technology park, and thousands of acres of farmland — are quickly coming together, at least when it comes to acquiring … Continued
Posted 5/24/2011 Because members could not agree on proposed amendments to the Wai`anae Sustainable Communities Plan, the Honolulu Planning Commission decided on May 16 to forward a draft plan, prepared by the city Department of Planning and Permitting, to the … Continued
Posted 05/02/2011 At last month’s Honolulu Planning Commission meeting at Kapolei Hale, a handful of West O`ahu farmers tried to dispel the notion that the 96 acres in Nanakuli proposed for development of a light industrial park are … Continued
On June 4, the state Land Use Commission unanimously approved a petition by Alexander & Baldwin, Inc. to designate more than 80 percent of its vast Maui fields as Important Agricultural Lands (IAL). While commissioners praised the company’s dedication to … Continued
Council Loses an Advisor: Robin Baird, one of the leading experts on false killer whales in waters around Hawai`i, has resigned from the Protected Species Advisory Committee of the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Wespac). Baird resigned effective January 31. The … Continued
Tobacco Project Wins ADC License Despite Board Member’s Objections Over the objections of an incensed William Tam, the Agribusiness Development Corporation board voted to approve a three-year license to LBD Coffee, LLC, to test its tobacco crops on three acres … Continued
DLNR Proposes Strict Size, Bag Limits On Fish Catches Around Maui, Lana`i On June 12, the state Board of Land and Natural Resources approved a request by the state Division of Aquatic Resources to hold public hearings on some rather … Continued
DLNR to Create Trust Fund For Coral Reef Restoration “We need it yesterday,” Department of Land and Natural Resources director William Aila said of the proposed new scheme to help his department restore damaged reefs and bill those responsible. During … Continued
Fourteen years ago, the Environmental Protection Agency banned large-capacity cesspools. Under the EPA’s definition, an LCC (as the agency terms it) is any shallow injection well that receives sanitary waste from one or more buildings visited by 20 or more … Continued