The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council had its 166th meeting last month on Saipan and Guam. While council actions were generally limited in scope – for example, requesting council staff to convey its sentiments to various federal agencies on a … Continued
In late 2011, Hawai`i longliners were about to reach their catch limit of bigeye tuna under an international quota system on the cusp of the busy holiday season. Congress rushed in and saved the day by passing a law allowing … Continued
The Magnuson-Stevens Act gives wide leeway to members of the eight regional fishery management councils when it comes to voting on matters in which they, their spouses, or their minor children might have a financial interest. It does, however, … Continued
Ka`a`awa Collapse: Every O`ahu resident knows Kamehameha Highway is the main and, in places, the only road that takes you around the island. At several points, the road runs alongside the ocean, with waves overtopping and undercutting it during high … Continued
The Public Utilities Commission staff investigated Hawaiian Electric’s cancellation earlier this year of contracts for three utility-scale solar farms on O`ahu, all owned by subsidiaries of the financially troubled SunEdison, Inc., and the resulting report casts Hawai`i’s electric utility giant … Continued
On May 16, a coalition of photovoltaic system installers and solar energy advocates filed a motion with the state Public Utilities Commission, formally asking it to lift the 35 megawatt cap it put in place last fall when it ended … Continued
For a short while earlier this year, it looked as though the $144 million in the state’s bond-financed Green Energy Market Securitization (GEMS) account might actually get used. Among the bills in the legislative package of Governor David Ige was … Continued
There’s a brand new seawall in the Keaukaha district of Hilo. State and county laws establish stringent conditions before permits for this type of construction can begin, but the builder in this case, Honolulu architect Robert K. Iopa, didn’t bother … Continued
Rarely are the state’s laws to protect natural resources and coastal areas so flagrantly violated as they have been in the case of the new seawall built in the Keaukaha area of Hilo. One would think that the builder, celebrated … Continued
HECO Hikes Solar Charges: In an April 14 filing with the Public Utilities Commission, Hawaiian Electric announced it would be charging an as-yet undetermined fee to all 1,100 homeowners still awaiting approval of their net-energy-metering (NEM) applications. The company claims … Continued