Tilting at Windmills
For two decades, the turbines of Maui’s very first wind farm have generated power for the Valley Isle, while also taking the lives of uncounted animals, including the state bird, the nēnē, and Hawaiʻi’s only endemic land mammal, the hoary bat, ʻōpeʻapeʻa. Now, up against a deadline of early next year, Kaheawa Wind Power I must find a way to satisfy the Board of Land and Natural Resources that it should be allowed a new lease despite non-compliance with past terms of operation and also win approval of a new environmental impact statement, habitat conservation plan, and incidental take license.
It’s an uphill climb, as our cover article describes in detail.
Also in this issue: an update on the Marconi development, news on the litigation over the Haleakala trail, the Supreme Court agrees to take on a dispute over East Maui water, and more fighting over West Maui water.
