Pa’ia Parking in the Works

To further stimulate economic development, the Office of Economic Development (OED), under the direction of Economic Development Coordinator Teena Rasmussen, is spreading the word about its Enterprise Zones (EZ) program, a joint state-county effort intended to stimulate-via tax and other incentives-certain types of business activity, job preservation, and job creation

Maui Lani Burials

From Hawai’i Public Radio •Clare Apana  has gone to court in an effort to protect ancient burials in the last open space between Kahului and Wailuku. Despite the concerns, the Maui Planning Commission yesterday approved Maui Lani Center. For The Maui News, Ron Youngblood reports.download mp3 •Former professional basketball coach

Require New Construction to be Photovoltaic-Ready

SB 181 SD1 – Requires all new buildings to contain design components for the later installation of a photovoltaic system Submit Testimony This bill would add an insignificant cost to construction (experts say as little as $100 per building), but it would greatly assist future residents if they decide to

Bill to Decrease Invasive Species

HB 1568 HD2 – Establishing Biosecurity Facilities Submit Testimony This measure is intended to create adequate biosecurity and inspection facilities at Hawai‘i’s major airports and harbors. Air and sea transportation is the major pathway for invasive species to sneak into the State. Hawai‘i — the endangered species capital of the

Bill Asks PUC to Consider Sustainability

HB 1517 HD1 and SB 1482 SD1 – Requiring the PUC to reduce Hawaii’s dependence on fossil fuels Submit testimony This measure requires the Public Utilities Commission in its deliberations to actively consider the need to reduce the state’s reliance on fossil fuels through energy efficiency and increased renewable energy

Automatic Approval Bill Still Alive in the Legislature

HB 376 HD1 – Automatic Approval of Permits, Licenses & Applications Submit Testimony This measure has three main components: It authorizes third-party reviewers to approve permits, licenses, and other applications; It automatically approves applications before the state historic preservation division if that agency does not review and comment within 60

Honua Kai customers allege documents filled with defects

Maui News Besides the alleged defects in the legal language of the sales documents, customers at Honua Kai Resort & Spa have alleged a wide range of omissions of pertinent information or of physical features that didn’t appear when the project was built out. Among them: * That, initially, the

Moloka’i Ranch Wind Farm

Molokai Ranch lays out options while seeking community input on wind energy project Posted on March 3, 2011 by molokainews By David Lichtenstein, The Molokai News. Peter Nicholas, CEO of Molokai Properties Limited, opens up to the community about wind farm proposals. Molokai Ranch has spoken and the speculation can end:

Huhu Over State Ethics Bill

  Request to Senate President to restore and hear the original ethics bill, SB671 by Larry Geller Reprinted from Disappeared News (Opinions those of Larry Geller) This afternoon I sent a fax below to Senate President Shan Tsutsui asking that the original text of ethics bill SB671 be restored on

Open-ocean aquaculture needs more scrutiny

ISLAND VOICES Open-ocean aquaculture needs more scrutiny By Andrea Brower POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Mar 04, 2011 Despite significant environmental, cultural and economic concerns about open-ocean aquaculture (OOA), permitting and other forms of government support make Hawaii “ground zero” for testing this risky new technology. The dominant story justifying OOA