Thursday, March 28, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Thursday, September 13, 2012
West Molokai Homeowners 98% Against Windfarm
By News Release @ 4:32 AM :: 7554 Views :: Kauai County, DHHL

News Release from WMA September 12, 2012

The Board of Directors of the West Molokai Association (WMA), representing the owners of 811 West Molokai properties, has unanimously declared its “resolute opposition” to the proposed Big Wind industrial wind project and Hawaii Inter-Island undersea cable, and stated it will take whatever steps necessary to halt the project.

The project would cover 17 square miles of Molokai with industrial wind turbines 47 stories tall. It is being planned by HECO, Molokai Ranch, Pattern Energy and Bio-Logical Capital, and is backed by Governor Neil Abercrombie.

Noting that the project would “dramatically alter and irreversibly change West Molokai’s rural character and pastoral environment,” the Board’s Resolution added that it would also “result in increased electrical costs for Hawaiian residents, already among the highest in the United States. In fact, the law in question, SB 2785, recently signed by Governor Abercrombie, allows HECO to raise homeowner rates through “an automatic rate adjustment clause” to pay for the undersea cable, currently estimated to cost $1 billion dollars.

The project would entail, the Resolution stated, the industrialization of West Molokai and Maunaloa, involving years of construction, dust and erosion, the building of miles of new roads, transmission lines, buried cables, inverter stations and other facilities on fragile lands sacred to Hawaiians and internationally known for their beauty and as habitats for rare and endangered species.

The project would also require, the Board said, the development of a deepwater port in sensitive coastal zones and high voltage cables across the Hawaiian National Humpback Whale Sanctuary and Molokai Reef, the world’s largest and most pristine coral reef north of Australia.

Responses from WMA property owners are running over 98% opposed to the project, with less than 1% in favor. Two surveys last year across Molokai found opposition first at 93%, which then grew to 97%, with again only 1% in favor.

The Board’s resolution added that the project would “severely reduce the numbers of birds, bats, seals, dolphins, whales, game fish and other wildlife, as well as the visual beauty and archaeological and cultural resources of West Molokai, all which provide great value to our members.”

WMA will work closely with I Aloha Molokai (www.IAlohaMolokai.com), a widely-supported Molokai citizens’ group that has been fighting the project for over a year, and with the residents of Maunaloa, which will be surrounded on two sides by the wind turbine towers.

WMA is a non-profit corporation organized to monitor the management, protection and preservation of its members’ properties on the Island of Molokai, and to promote the health, safety, and welfare of its members. The Board Resolution can be found on the WMA website: http://wmahome.org.

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT