The state of Hawai`i has settled a lawsuit brought by Bridge `Aina Le`a, LLC, which had claimed more than $30 million in damages as a result of a decision by the Land Use Commission to downzone acreage the company had … Continued
“House Bill 2501 invites litigation.” That succinct reply was all Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation (NHLC) attorney David Kimo Frankel provided Environment Hawai`i when asked back in May whether a holdover of water rights granted in accordance with the bill could … Continued
An outdated and overpriced tariff scheme. An entrepreneur who exploited loopholes in a law intended to benefit small farms. And a residential community that is seething over the prospect of more than two dozen photovoltaic arrays, intended to generate more … Continued
Mark Rauzon. Isles of Amnesia: The History, Geography, and Restoration of America’s Forgotten Pacific Islands. Honolulu: University of Hawai`i Press, 2016. The title of this book puzzled me at first. Its subject is the effort to restore seriously disturbed ecosystems on some … Continued
$10M in Band-Aids: The O`ahu Metropolitan Planning Organization has proposed appropriating $10.1 million to the state Department of Transportation (DOT) to design and construct repairs to sections of Kamehameha Highway between Kualoa and Hau`ula that are threatening to fall into … Continued
August 2016
‘Worst-Case Scenario’ Plays Out: In April, we reported that fishing industry experts speculated the Hawai`i longline fleet might reach its annual catch quota for bigeye tuna in the Western and Central Pacific as early as June. Then, as we report … Continued
Our cover story attempting to clarify issues surrounding the proposed expansion of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument unfortunately includes some rather confusing language. With regard to the debate over the percentage of fish caught by the Hawaii longline fleet that actually stays within the state, … Continued
In the press release it issued at the conclusion of its June meeting, the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council led off with comments from former council chair Manny Duenas. For years, Duenas represented Guam on the council. When he stepped … Continued
Save the Date: Robin Baird, the foremost expert on Hawai`i’s false killer whales and other resident cetaceans, will be the special guest speaker at the annual Environment Hawai`i dinner. Date: August 21, Sunday. Time: 6-8:30 pm Place: `Imiloa Astronomy Center, … Continued