Fraud. That word is not too strong to describe the shenanigans employed by state and county officials and private consultants in their eagerness to spend federal money on the underground equivalent of roads to nowhere. Their actions may all be … Continued
On March 28, 1988, Hugh Ono, at the time Chief Engineer for the County of Hawai`i, wrote Scott Kvandal, vice president of Barrett Consulting Group. The letter is a veritable paean to BCG, with no other apparent purpose. For this … Continued
In 1981, R.M. Towill prepared an Environmental Impact Statement for a new sewage treatment plant at Kealakehe. Plans called for constructing an ocean outfall to get rid of treated wastewater. Charlie and Jan Biltoft of Kealakekua thought this was inappropriate … Continued
The year: 1980. The Mayor: Frank Fasi. The newspaper: The Honolulu Advertiser: “City officials have chosen a proposal from Amfac and a Connecticut firm as the lowest bid for a massive project to turn Honolulu`s garbage into electricity. The winning … Continued
Someone once said of nuclear energy that it was an expensive way to boil water. That was before H-POWER. With a generational cost of 15 cents a kilowatt hour, H-POWER makes nuclear energy (about 12 cents per kilowatt hour) look … Continued
Let the Circle Be Unbroken: Don’t Stop With Recycling Environment Hawai`i would like to tell readers it is printed on recycled paper made of 100 percent post-consumer waste, unbleached and dioxin free. We’d like to – but we cannot. The … Continued
To date, the state Department of Health has received one report on emissions at H-POWER. The tests were run last February, shortly after H-POWER began burning refuse-derived fuel. The results show no emission exceeding the established limits. Still, the report … Continued
Whether H-POWER complies with emissions standards or not, the fact remains that O`ahu’s air quality is not helped by its operation. According to Jim Morrow, director of the American Lung Association of Hawai`i, the result will most likely not be … Continued
If your heart says Caddy but your budget says Kimo’s Kream Puffs, you probably won’t waste a lot of time with your ose pressed to the glass of a Cadillac dealer’s showroom. You certainly won’t spend a year driving the … Continued
The state Commission on Water Resource Management has six members. Two are members by virtue of their having been appointed to cabinet-level positions by the governor. These two are the head of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, … Continued