Environment Hawai'i

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In the grand old tradition of the New York Times, we would love to publish all the news that's fit to print. Alas, with just 12 pages a month, we end up with a surplus of goodies.

EH-xtra is where you'll find the news that we just couldn't squeeze into our print edition or come up after we have gone to press.

Draft Rules on Endangered Species — 'Parade of Horribles' for Hawai`i

Even as the public eye is focused on the presidential candidates, the current administration is still working hard to reshape government in its own image before it loses its lease on the White House. No more stunning example of the mischief it hopes to wreak before the end of the Bush term exists than the proposed changes in rules for administering the Endangered Species Act.

And while the regulations have been denounced by many mainland environmental and conservation organizations, their criticisms have not touched on the special threat that the regulations pose for Hawai`i, says David Henkin, an attorney in the Honolulu office of Earthjustice.
more...

Yellow Light on Biofuels

The nation’s premier professional association for ecologists, the Ecological Society of America, has weighed in with a statement on biofuels that urges policy-makers and planners to go slow in converting lands to biofuel crops.

“Supplying the emerging biofuels industry with enough biomass to meet the U.S. biofuel energy target – replacing 30 percent of the current U.S. petroleum consumption with biofuels by 2030 – will have a major impact on the management and sustainability of many U.S. ecosystems,” reads the policy statement from the society, which represents some 10,000 ecological scientists.

“Current grain-based ethanol production systems damage soil and water resources in the U.S. and are only profitable in the context of tax breaks and tariffs,” the society said in a news release. “Future systems based on a combination of cellulosic materials and grain could be equally degrading to the environment, with potentially little carbon savings, unless steps are taken now that incorporate principles of ecological sustainability.”

The full policy statement is available on the society’s website: www.esa.org

To post comments about this article please click here

Fate of Ontario Superferry: Lessons for Hawai`i?
In all the recent coverage of the Hawai`i Superferry, little has been said about a troubled sister ship that briefly plied the waters of Lake Ontario. Here are some of the facts about its short-lived service between Toronto and Rochester:

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DBCP and Dole, 30 Years Later
Dibromochloropropane, a nasty pesticide that continues to lurk in Hawai`i’s aquifers long after the pineapple fields have gone fallow, was used throughout Central America as well – and with consequences equally disastrous. In November, a Los Angeles jury found that Dole Food Co. had deliberately exposed six Nicaraguan banana workers to DBCP, rendering them sterile. A Nicaraguan court had found Dole culpable earlier, but lawyers for the plantiffs said the workers were unable to collect on their judgments in that country. The jury ordered Dole and Dow Chemical Co. to pay compensatory damages to the six totaling $2.8 million, with Dole bearing 80 percent of the responsibility; punitive damages may still come.more...
Get a handle on environmental issues
For almost 20 years, Environment Hawai`i has been publishing award-winning monthly newlsetters that shed light on the toughest environmental issues of the day. Don't be left out. Subscribe now.

Enter the special coupon code TOTE to receive a free eco-friendly tote with a one-year subscription. All donors who give $50 or more will automatically receive a tote. Hurry, this offer is available only while supplies last!
EH-xtra Archives
Browse our free archive of EH-xtra stories.

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CONSERVATION SCIENCE IN THE AGE OF EXTINCTIONS
As Hawai`i experiences one extinction after another, the question inevitably arises: What are the scientists in the forefront of conservation biology doing to address this? David Duffy of the University of Hawai`i and Fred Kraus of the Bishop Museum do more than just raise the question: they attempt to answer it. more...



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EH-XTRA! EH-XTRA! READ ALL ABOUT... In the grand old tradition of the New York Times, we would love to publish all the news that's fit to print. Alas, with just 12 pages a month, we end up with a surplus of goodies. EH-xtra is where you'll find the news that we just couldn't squeeze into our print edition or come up after we have gone to press. Draft Rules on Endangered Species — 'Parade of Horribles' for Hawai`i Even as the public eye is focused on the presidential candidates, the current administration is still working hard to reshape government in its own image before it loses its lease on the White House. No more stunning example of the mischief it hopes to wreak before the end of the Bush term exists than the proposed changes in rules for administering the Endangered Species Act. And while the regulations have been denounced by many mainland environmental and conservation organizations, their criticisms have not touched on the special threat that the regulations pose for Hawai`i, says David Henkin, an attorney in the Honolulu office of Earthjustice. more... Yellow Light on Biofuels The nation’s premier professional association for ecologists, the Ecological Society of America, has weighed in with a statement on biofuels that urges policy-makers and planners to go slow in converting lands to biofuel crops. “Supplying the emerging biofuels industry with enough biomass to meet the U.S. biofuel energy target – replacing 30 percent of the current U.S. petroleum consumption with biofuels by 2030 – will have a major impact on the management and sustainability of many U.S. ecosystems,” reads the policy statement from the society, which represents some 10,000 ecological scientists. “Current grain-based ethanol production systems damage soil and water resources in the U.S. and are only profitable in the context of tax breaks and tariffs,” the society said in a news release. “Future systems based on a combination of cellulosic materials and grain could be equally degrading to the environment, with potentially little carbon savings, unless steps are taken now that incorporate principles of ecological sustainability.” The full policy statement is available on the society’s website: www.esa.org To post comments about this article please click here Fate of Ontario Superferry: Lessons for Hawai`i? In all the recent coverage of the Hawai`i Superferry, little has been said about a troubled sister ship that briefly plied the waters of Lake Ontario. Here are some of the facts about its short-lived service between Toronto and Rochester: more... DBCP and Dole, 30 Years Later Dibromochloropropane, a nasty pesticide that continues to lurk in Hawai`i’s aquifers long after the pineapple fields have gone fallow, was used throughout Central America as well – and with consequences equally disastrous. In November, a Los Angeles jury found that Dole Food Co. had deliberately exposed six Nicaraguan banana workers to DBCP, rendering them sterile. A Nicaraguan court had found Dole culpable earlier, but lawyers for the plantiffs said the workers were unable to collect on their judgments in that country. The jury ordered Dole and Dow Chemical Co. to pay compensatory damages to the six totaling $2.8 million, with Dole bearing 80 percent of the responsibility; punitive damages may still come.more... Get a handle on environmental issues For almost 20 years, Environment Hawai`i has been publishing award-winning monthly newlsetters that shed light on the toughest environmental issues of the day. Don't be left out. *Subscribe now.* Enter the special coupon code TOTE to receive a free eco-friendly tote with a one-year subscription. All donors who give $50 or more will automatically receive a tote. Hurry, this offer is available only while supplies last! EH-xtra Archives Browse our free archive of EH-xtra stories. more... CONSERVATION SCIENCE IN THE AGE OF EXTINCTIONS As Hawai`i experiences one extinction after another, the question inevitably arises: What are the scientists in the forefront of conservation biology doing to address this? David Duffy of the University of Hawai`i and Fred Kraus of the Bishop Museum do more than just raise the question: they attempt to answer it. more...	SUMMARY OF CURRENT ISSUE August 2008 Summary Crude Calculations: Going green is more cost-effective than most people think, according to a recent report on Hawai`i’s potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. What’s more, the report by San Francisco’s McKinsey & Company suggests that Hawai`i can go farther and faster than the rest of the country toward reducing its oil dependence and GHG emissions. But as members of the state’s Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Task force pointed out at recent meetings, McKinsey’s projection that sugarcane could once again be grown on hundreds of thousands of acres – this time to produce biofuel – is an iffy one, at best. Even so, the report marks the first time such an analysis has been done for the state, and suggests that as oil prices continue to rise, the abatement technologies available to Hawai`i will become increasingly “cost negative.” Whether the state can and will step up to the challenge of implementing them, however, remains to be seen. Also in this issue: The Decline and Fall of the Po`ouli: A Cautionary Tale of Delay, Dissent: Alvin Powell’s new book on the po`ouli details how personality and agency conflicts derailed recovery efforts for years, up until the last known individual died in 2004. Fishery Council Supports New Turtle Caps, Native Management: The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council gave its final approval in June to its recommendation that the National Marine Fisheries Service raise the caps on turtles that are allowed to interact with or be killed by the Hawai`i-based swordfish fishery. The council also voted to support a process – similar to the state’s `aha moku council commission process – that allows for more input from native communities on natural resource management decisions. Declaring War on Climate Change: Coral reef expert John “Charlie” Veron’s talk on ocean acidification at last June’s Western Pacific Fishery Council meeting was yet another wake-up call for the need for swift abatement of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. Board Talk: In this month’s column, the state Board of Land and Natural Resources addresses the theft of river rocks from Maui and lifetime ban questions regarding the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and the resolution of a Kaua`i dispute over the use of prime agricultural land for biofuel production. New & Noteworthy: Tradewinds moves forward; Ezra on wastewater and light rail; and Environment Hawai`i receives three finalist honors from the Hawai`i chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. To see summaries of previous months: more... Knowledgeable. Passionate. Independent. Providing News Found Nowhere Else. In June 2007, Environment Hawai'i, a monthly newsletter, completed 17 years of continuous publication. We thank all of our loyal subscribers for your contrubutions to this astonishing run. Mahalo nui loa. If you want to see us around for another 17 years, now is the time to show your support. New subscriptions are welcome too. Give your colleagues who are always cockroaching your copy subscriptions of their own. Any and all gifts, are deeply appreciated. Pay for your subscriptions online! Environment Hawai`i accepts Visa and MasterCard payments online. Just go to our Subscriptions webpage. The monthly issues are 12 pages of densely packed, tightly written articles on the some of the most troubling environmental issues facing Hawai`i today. REQUEST A FREE SAMPLE! Please support the investigation and publication of essential news stories so that our islands can be protected by an informed community. If our stories or our website have helped you, support our non-profit organization further with a donation. Mahalo. Since 1990, Environment Hawai`i has gained a reputation as the single most important source of news on environmental issues in the 50th state. For more information about our newsletter click here. ARCHIVE ACCESS Our archives are password protected, but available to subscribers at no charge. If you are renewing by PayPal or credit card, your password will be immediately issued. If you only wish to access the archives, select the "offline payment: pay by mail" payment option. You will not be charged. Your account will be reviewed and activated as soon as possible.
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