February 2017 PDF
February 2017
Kaua`i Utility Wins Conditional Lease For Hydroelectric Project in Kekaha
Hoping to spur a resolution of a years- long dispute over stream water in West Kaua‘i, the state Agribusiness Development Corporation (ADC) approved a five-year lease to the Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) for its Pu‘u Opae hydropower project. The … Continued
Tempers Flare as TMT Contested Case Closes Out Third Month of Hearings
The contested case hearing on a Conservation District Use Application for the Thirty-Meter Telescope continued its slow pace last month, with 11 days of hearings. On December 13, the University of Hawai`i, which is the applicant for the Conservation District … Continued
Board Talk: A&B Holdovers, Wind Farm Contested Case, Ag Land Transfers
Land Board Grants One-Year Holdover Allowing A&B to Divert East Maui Streams “I think it’s important to keep in mind it’s been ‘just one more year’ for 30 years,” Office of Hawaiian Affairs public policy advocate Wayne Tanaka told the Board … Continued
Proposed Budget for Whitmore Ag Hub Shifts Away From Land Acquisition
For the past few years, the state Legislature has sunk tens of millions of dollars into state Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz’s and the state Agribusiness Development Corporation’s vision of turning the Whitmore area in North-Central O`ahu into a thriving agricultural … Continued
NEW & NOTEWORTHY: Iopa Seawall, Hu Honua, Water Security
Seawall Comes Down: The seawall in Keaukaha that was put up early last year has come down – for the most part, at least. The wall was built by Robert Iopa, an architect who owns the lot immediately mauka of … Continued
Tax Exemption for $165 Million Complex
Owners of 7000 Hawai`i Kai Drive, a new apartment complex, have recently obtained a GEMS-backed loan in the amount of $861,500 to finance a photovoltaic system for its common areas. The complex is owned by a subsidiary of the large … Continued
GEMS Costs of $13 Million a Year Borne by Hawaiian Electric Ratepayers
How much does the Green Energy Market Securitization (GEMS) program cost customers of Hawaiian Electric utilities? According to the latest figures submitted to the state Public Utilities Commission, each business day from January 1 through June 30, Hawaiian Electric will … Continued
Latest Proposal to Use GEMS Fund Is Nixed by Public Utilities Commission
On November 28, the Hawai`i Green Infrastructure Authority (HGIA) proposed a new method by which GEMS funds could be distributed to residential customers. As with several other previous proposals, the Public Utilities Commission batted it down, ordering instead an “informal … Continued
January 2017 PDF
January 2017