Entries for November 2013

The Department is conducting this study under contract with The Urban Institute and its subcontractors, NORC, Econometrica and SSI....

The Hawaii State Department of Education (DOE) will be placing Pono Choices implementation on hold as it conducts another review of the pilot curriculum....

This UHERO 101 intends to clarify some of the rate and policy aspects of PV in Hawai‘i, and explores the two opposite driving forces of PV adoption....

While an untrammeled water market would fail to provide the optimal solution, regulators can facilitate efficient water trading by setting appropriate exchange rates....

...members of the budget conference committee are considering several options that could increase spending by up to an additional $100 billion....

Hawaii has long had an unfortunate tendency to attract the most extreme Mainland activists....

From 1621, when the Pilgrims arrived in the New World, to 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln declared it a federal holiday, thanking God and practicing religion were of paramount importance....

Hawaiian Electric is helping customers whose rooftop photovoltaic (PV) installations were underway in September when the utility revised its interconnection procedures....

In this week’s Think Tech broadcast, Grassroot President Keli’i Akina and Policy Director Malia Hill join host Jay Fidell ....

DLNR is a bully taking away rights, threatening cultural livelihood and even trying to censor what can be shown on television. To this I say, long live “American Jungle”....

“It may take a little time for West Hawaii residents to get used to the sight of the flare burning 24 hours a day, seven days a week, especially at night, but the continuous flare means the system is doing what it’s designed to do.”

Senators Brian Schatz (D–HI) and Mazie Hirono (D–HI) recently voted to eliminate the filibuster on Obama nominees, do the math....

• DATE: Monday, December 02, 2013
• TIME: 2:00 pm
• PLACE: Conference Room 329 State Capitol

The United States will surpass Russia and Saudi Arabia as the world's top oil producer by 2015, and be close to energy self-sufficiency in the next two decades, amid booming output from shale formations....

Obamacare goes against prioritizing help for the disabled over assistance for able-bodied adults....

...Meanwhile HMSA Announces ANOTHER 4.4% Rate Hike Thanks to Obamacare....

The $46.1 million five-year contract awarded to CH2M Hill, Inc. covers oversight support for design review, scheduling and cost estimating, environmental and planning and interface management....

A controversial new method to manage fisheries is to assign “catch shares”....

It was particularly refreshing to see how fearless the Hawaii people were when testifying before the Legislature. They ignored "political correctness" and simply told the truth from their hearts. In other words, they weren't afraid....

It has been almost a month now since Delegate Faleomavaega was stricken with some unrevealed ailment after arriving on an evening flight from Honolulu to Pago Pago....

...to ship a 40-foot container from Los Angeles to Shanghai is $790. Matson, Hawaii’s largest carrier, charges $8,700 to ship that same container from Los Angeles to Honolulu....

...a commissioner who insists on lower premiums will reduce the amount of care available to subsidized voters without saving them a dime...

Organizing for America (OFA), President Obama’s campaign group, has a big push called “Health Care for the Holidays” that urges people to “have the talk” with their loved ones about getting health insurance....

...one must ask whether the 'mistake' is intended to cover up some violation of Federal requirements attached to the $83M....

...political ads, by definition, raise questions about public issues that the candidates think will resonate with voters. Given these circumstances, an obvious question is to what extent are those public issues covered....

...thanks to Senator Schatz’s flawed advocacy, our electricity costs will increase....

Applicants must attend one of the following information sessions....

As of Nov. 15, just 257 individuals have secured health care through the exchange....

In other words: look out Government, you’re about to be pummeled by a crusading, righteous billionaire! And corporate America? Ah, don’t worry. Your dirty secrets—freshly transferred from the nasty non-profit hands of the Guardian to the aggressively for-profit hands of Pierre Omidyar—are safe with us....

Hawaii ranks best in the nation according to The Commonwealth Fund....

Recent Congressional Votes

• Senate: Executive and Judicial Nominations – Cloture
• House: Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting – Passage

Agriculture subsidies and trade manipulation have long been among the most intractable of policy problems....

...the law perpetuates some of the country’s worst trends that trap people in poverty....

“If you heard the message as, ‘Your bill is going to drop,’ those people feel a sense of disappointment,” said Doug McLeod, Maui County’s energy commissioner....

By not agreeing to dismantle a single centrifuge, Iran has not rolled back its nuclear infrastructure.  Iran retains the ability to produce enough weapons-grade uranium for a nuclear weapon in as little as 2 months....

...how is the new health care initiative going to affect businesses?

For a 1br-1ba unit, HCDA's falsified estimate sets the "affordable" price at $655K.  Using realistic assumptions the actual affordability price would be $371K--a difference of $284K....

He assumes one of the board’s Honolulu seats, an interim position until confirmed by the state Senate....

A UH systemwide task force to work on improving services for student veterans has been formed and held its organizational meeting on Friday, November 22....

Loan delinquency, financial security top issues of concern....

HHC approved a pilot program that has the potential to prevent lease cancellations for severely delinquent Hawaiian homesteaders on East Hawaii....

• DATE: Friday, December 20, 2013
• TIME: 9:00 a.m.
• PLACE: Conference Room 309 State Capitol

Hawai‘i Health Connector today announced the appointment of Tom Matsuda, current Affordable Care Act implementation manager with the Governor’s office, as interim executive director....