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Monday, May 11, 2015
May 11, 2015 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 4:22 PM :: 3523 Views

Draft DoI Rules Create Path for Fake Indian Tribe to Take Over DHHL

Sacred? OHA Trustees Dream of "Millions or Billions" in Telescope Revenues

Mandatory GMO food label not backed by science

HB888 Deedy Bill Coming Back in 2016

Best City to Start a Career? Its not Honolulu

Mauna Kea Telescope tied to Haleakala Case

SA: On the same day 31 protesters were arrested trying to stop construction of the giant Thirty Meter Telescope atop Mauna Kea, lawyers appeared at the Hawaii Supreme Court attempting to block another major mountaintop astronomy project.

The $300 million Daniel K. Ino­uye Solar Telescope, in the works on Maui for over a decade, is under construction in the Science City area of the summit of Hale­akala. When it is completed in 2019, the largest solar telescope in the world will give astronomers the best view of the sun they've ever had.

But not if Kila­kila o Hale­akala has its way. The small group of Native Hawaiians has been battling the project in the public-review proc­ess and the courts for years, although largely under the radar.

Now the case has reached the state's highest court, and the group is hoping for a ruling that will block construction.

With many similarities between the Hale­akala and Mauna Kea cases, the court is now weighing broad legal issues that not only could affect the Ino­uye telescope, but the future of the $1.4 billion TMT project.

"We're watching the Maui case very closely," said Kealoha Pisciotta, president of Mauna Kea Anaina Hou and one of the individuals suing to halt the TMT project.

Doomed: Enviros Win 90% Before Hawaii Supreme Court

read ... Haleakala

Telescope: "Conver$ation$ are Happening"

LA Times: The stoppage was initially scheduled to last one week; it has now lasted a month, and a date for the restart hasn't been set. The completion date for the telescope, a joint project of Caltech, the University of California, and a consortium of foreign academic institutions, is 2023.

Most recently, the state's Office of Hawaiian Affairs, which oversees the interests of native Hawaiians, voted to rescind its 2009 endorsement of the TMT. The agency stopped short of opposing the project, however, in order to "give us a seat at the table" as discussions proceed, says Peter Apo, an OHA board member....

What's new in the TMT story is the willingness of the scientist/builders to hear and addre$$ local concern$. In connection with the Thirty Meter Telescope, "conversations are happening," says Michael Bolte, an astronomy professor at UC Santa Cruz and member of the TMT's board of governors.

As Explained: Sacred? OHA Trustees Dream of "Millions or Billions" in Telescope Revenues

read ... Negotiating for Rent Money

Kauai Mayor’s proposed budget tops $182M, HGEA Continues to Drain Reserves

KGI: Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. asks for $182.2 million, which is a slight increase over the $181.7 million he originally requested in March. That new number does not, however, take into account the recent ratification of Hawaii Government Employees Association union contracts, which will cost the county an additional $1.3 million in wages and other associated benefits.

Under this plan, total expenses outweigh total revenue by approximately $1.7 million. If it is approved, the county will need to continue the multi-year trend of using unassigned reserve funds to balance the budget.  ($1.7M + $1.3M = $3M)

However, the mayor’s administration noted that this is a dramatically lower amount than in the past and is a responsible step toward a sustainable budget. For comparison, the county dipped into the General Fund to the tune of $18.5 million, $11.7 million and $3.1 million in the past three fiscal years.

read ... Draining

Who Will be Next HSTA President

CB: The announcement of who will take the helm of the powerful Hawaii State Teachers Association is being delayed for two weeks while the union holds a runoff for the slot of vice president.

Teachers cast their votes last month for president, vice president and secretary-treasurer of the HSTA in an election that pits current union leadership against teachers known for making waves.

Vying for the union’s top spot are HSTA Vice President Joan Lewis and Corey Rosenlee, a teacher who represents the Leeward Chapter on the HSTA Board of Directors. Current president Wil Okabe, who has held the position since 2009, is term-limited out.

read ... HSTA

Did NextEra spy on Occupy Wall Street?

IM: NextEra HECO and NextEra are currently answering Information Requests....

Life of the Land asked about spying. The Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF) used the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to get heavily redacted documents that revealed highly coordinated federal law enforcement tactics which targeted Occupy Wall Street (OWS).

The story about the Domestic Security Alliance Council (DSAC) appeared in a column written by Naomi Wolf.

“A terrifying network of coordinated DHS, FBI, police, regional fusion center, and private-sector activity so completely merged into one another that the monstrous whole is, in fact, one entity: in some cases, bearing a single name, the Domestic Security Alliance Council. And it reveals this merged entity to have one centrally planned, locally executed mission. The documents, in short, show the cops and DHS working for and with banks to target, arrest, and politically disable peaceful American citizens.”

The DSAC website asserts that “DSAC's strategic collaboration with the private sector enhances communication and promotes effective exchange of information in order to prevent, detect, and investigate criminal acts, particularly those affecting interstate commerce, while advancing the ability of the U.S. private sector to protect its employees, assets, infrastructure, and proprietary information.”

While attending the Naval Postgraduate School Monterey, California, Stephanie E. Yanta wrote her Master’s Thesis on the DSAC. Her thesis appears on the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) website. NextEra was listed as one of the 29 member DSAC Leadership Board.

read ... DSAC NextEra

Giant Offshore Windfarm Coming to Hawaii?

RB: The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will provide an update on 3 June on Alpha Wind Energy’s proposal to build a pair of 408MW floating offshore wind farms off the coast of Oahu in Hawaii.

The update will come at the third BOEM Hawaii Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force meeting to be held at the Homer Maxey International Trade Resource Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.

BOEM will present information on the two unsolicited lease requests, which were received in January, and will explain the next steps in the process.

The Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism will also provide an update.

read ... Federal Takeover

Implementing the Community-Based Renewable Energy and the Green Infrastructure Loan Programs

IM: Community-based renewable energy bill nearly passed the 2015 State Legislature unopposed.  Representative Jordan, the most frequent dissenter in the State House, voted yes with reservations on SB 1050 SD2 HD3 CD1....

A large centralized renewable energy system can be integrated into the electric grid. Utility ratepayers would buy shares. The utility would calculate how much energy was generated by the system each month, translate that into payment for the electricity generated, allocate the payment by shares and subtract the corresponding amount from a customer’s utility bill....

Meanwhile back in 2013 the State Legislature passed Senate Bill 1087 SD2 HD3 CD1 (Act 211) which established the Green Infrastructure Loan Program (also known as the "Green Energy Market Securitization Program" or "GEMS Program").

The program is now anticipated to take a minimum of two and a half years to be implemented....

Environment Hawaii has written a series of critical in-depth articles about the program. “One of the big puzzles about the Green Energy Market Securitization program is why it excludes loans for solar water heaters. These certainly offer the biggest bang for the buck to any customer wanting lower utility bills.”

read ... Implementing

HB148-SB145: Make Crime Pay

KL: House bill (HB) 148 seeks to provide compensation and services to the wrongfully convicted and follows federal law in promising at least $50,000 compensation per year of incarceration.

HB148 and the deferred SB145 have been met with opposition from the Hawaii Paroling Authority (HPA). In its testimony, the state agency says the measure would cause a “chilling effect” on pardoning because of the increased cost. HPA also challenges the provision included to provide lifetime health care along with monetary compensation on the grounds that it would be too expensive.

Reality: After Sob Story from Child Molester's Mother, Hawaii House Offers Ex-Cons $50K per Year, Free Obamacare for Life

read ... The Road to Riches

Some in HPD can't wait for body cams

SA: At least a handful of police officers have taken to using their own personal devices....

read ...  Some in HPD can't wait for body cams

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