HELCO MARCH- Campsite Pohaku Dr.

[whalesong]

March on HELCO
Sponsored by Puna Pono Alliance:
The March on HELCO will start at 10:00 am this Saturday, August 17th in front of Pahoa High School. Then proceed along the Mauka side of Highway 130 to the Shower Dr./Pohaku Drive where there will be a campsite. 8.5miles

On the second day of the March on HELCO, Sunday August 18th we will start walking along the Mauka side of Highway 130 toward Kea’au. We will be walking on the Mauka side of the Highway to Puainako Street where there will be a campsite. 9.4miles
On the last day of the March on HELCO Monday August 19th at 10:00 am we will walk down Highway 11 toward to HELCO Offices a 1200 Kilauea Avenue in Hilo Hawaii. (across from the Hilo Shopping Center).
There are plans to have a sign waving demonstration already in progress so we will be walking to join them and gather in front of HELCO to present our petition asking HELCO to please stop the RFP. 2.2 miles.
Come join your neighbors for ‘some or all the march’ and help protect Puna from More Geothermal Development
Marchers - Your gear and supplies will be transported to the camp site by the Transportation Committee Members. The Camp site will be prepared and broken down by the Camp Site Committee Members.
Food will be provided by the food committee with your generous donations.
Hope to see you there and we could use all the help you can give. Please contact Steve Sparks at
(808) 339 1193 or asinsparks@gmail.com
The March is pet free and drug and alcohol free.
We will rally at Helco at 11am to hand the petition to HELCO CEO J Ignacio ….please be there to show Puna Cares and wants a clean green Puna for our children and grand children.

[dragon2k]

quote:

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Originally posted by pahoated

There are Puna hallucinations and then there is adult society reality. The adult society reality is the grid is there, baseload grid power is going to be needed by a functioning society for a long time, and geothermal has been operating for 20 years, providing steadily more power. The other reality is the current status is due to the authorized actions of the PUC and the state, put in place by the people. With that, energy policy and planning are very long term, very expensive efforts and they aren't going to change things on a whim because Auntie Sally's cat developed a furball cough after moving too close to PGV.

The RFP for the next 50MW plant is going to be announced in September. It is ultimately up to Hawiian Electric how they will implement the RFP, just one new plant on the west side, or possibly another new plant in Pohoiki in addition. It is sounding more like the possibility this may be happening. This has all been approved and gone through all the studies and evaluations, the county lost home rule of geothermal permits last legislative session, and all authority has been transferred to BLNR. If you are anti-geothermal, stop being a PITA with your misdirection and direct your rage to PUC and BLNR. Raging on HELCO is so stupid and such a waste of time.

"This island Hawaii on this island Earth"

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[opihikao]

Sure hope this doesn't cause traffic hazard being a long weekend. HCPD already has enough complaints about response time, etc.

We have almost 45-50K people in Puna now, right? It will be interesting to see how many participate. Will it be the same 100-200 people that have been testifying ad nauseum at Council meetings, at forums, etc.? Some of them are downright rude, overbearing, and so not "Puna Pono". (*As a kanaka maoli, one of the most irritating things is to have others utilize our language inappropriately.)

This effort is also contibuting to dividing a community.

JMO.

[Obie]

I inquired several county agencies about whether PunaPorno had permits for a parade and tent cities and only got one response.

NO !!

Kind of funny that they are protesting Helco is doing something illegal and it's ok if they do the same thing !!

[opihikao]

Here is a first hand look at what happened today, at least the first 25 minutes:

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/37439741

There is quite a myriad of issues here, the main topic being geothermal development in this instance. It was difficult to watch this video, however, between the running in and out of traffic on Hwy. 130, with someone blowing a conch shell, with the drums beating in the background perhaps for cadence (definitely not a beat that is Polynesian, never mind Hawaiian),and the "yip, yip, yip, aye, yai, yai..." (almost of an Indian nature) in the background, my stomach churned.

This is where we rode horse with Papa Bill Kamelamela, this is where Papa Lyman and other kupuna gathered (where the Pahoa High School start point was) to visit or share poi, fish, inu, ulu, whatever. We'd get our supplies from the Cash & Carry, fill gas at the corner with the old Japanese man, visit with all who passed by while waiting, and so much more.

Today, this is where people are angry, marching, beating drums, running across the deadliest highway in our State, claiming to "Save Pohoiki",rebuke HELCO and geothermal development.

Today, for those of us who have been here for generations, and myself over 50 years, I cannot even feel comfortable driving through Pahoa town without literally locking my doors and rolling up the windows. We find trash (39 gallon size bags full), beer cans, diapers, abandoned cars/trucks, needles, druggies squatting and their trash, on our sacred property in Puna.

Save Pohoiki? Why not start with your trash, both human and material, and stop dumping on our aina! Leave Puna the way it is? No thank you. Maybe the way it WAS in our day, but sure as hell not what it is today.

Pono? Really? I wish my kupuna could share with all these transplants who profess to represent "Pele" and OUR community what that word means. It is not verbalized, it is lived.

One young lady who marched today said to me, "We have to take care of our girl, Paylay". OMFG.[!] Tutu Pele is NOT a "girl". It took every fiber of my being to be gracious as possible, and explain; Pele, our Tutu ( yes, the koko that runs through my veins is of Pele) does not need anyone in human form to speak for her.

I warned the young ka po'e haole to be careful running across the highway with that camera, and offered her some water. Left with a half smile, and continued to shake my head in disbelief at the encounter. "Our girl"???? OMG.

Pity we all can't somehow find middle ground with all of these people in order to move forward. My kupuna would not be pleased to see our "piko", our home (truly the roots of our ohana) desecrated in this manner.

Apologies for the long winded rant. HELCO is not going to "stop the RFP", nor is solar or wind going to give us firm power and lower our cost. We need to find middle ground and move forward for all of us and our keiki and mo'opuna.

JMO. Thank you in advance for your patience and (hopefully) understanding my frustration.

Ke Akua Pu. (God be with us all.)

[TomK]

Opihikao - have you ever watched the TV series "Portlandia"? I think you'd enjoy it although I've been known to make some bad recommendations sometimes. I also enjoyed your rant and agree with just about all of it although haven't watched the video yet.

Tom
http://apacificview.blogspot.com/

[unknownjulie]

I went by the intersection about 2pm yesterday (sat). I didnt see any campsite, but wasnt looking. was there a campsite?

[opihikao]

Tom, no, I haven't seen it. What channel please? (FYI, personally, I enjoy your suggestions and contribution. Mahalo.)

Pahoated, incredible, huh? These people are so lucky Mike Kaleikini is a decent man; real Hawaiian. Yes, he's the front line for PGV/ORMAT, but to accost his wife is deplorable. After being part of our community in his various capacities at PGV, he does get a big gold star from me for enduring such vileness.

What these people don't get is; There are many, many, many kanaka maoli who support geothermal statewide and nationwide, moreso IDG as a Hawaiian owned entity. When called upon to stand "onipa'a", we will. All who understand we own this resource, and should be able to manage it ourselves for the good of ALL people here on our aina.

Obie, Why am I not surprised. Too much. Really. SMH

Wonder if Jay Ignacio is ready for the petition on Monday? Hope he has a formal statement to hand to the media take the petition, then go back into his office and work on the press release awarding the 50MG RFP.

JMO.

[dragon2k]

Thanks for doing the research for us Ted! Funny stuff!

[robguz]

I'd love to know how much pollution and greenhouse gasses are released by all the people driving there for this. I'm guessing this alone is doing more damage to the environment than weeks or months of PGV is.