05-30-2012, 04:43 PM
Yes, I support that language, with conditions, that: (1) any EA or EIS is preceded by project scoping using already-appropriated funds ($588,000); (2) scoping is centered on an honest community consultation about finding what best serves the community; (3) scoping includes a genuine assessment of alternatives and priorities; and (4) the outcome of scoping serves as the absolute basis for any subsequent EA or EIS.
The problem to be resolved, as framed by County Planning, is providing Puna residents access to gainful employment and access to services both commercial and social. That need is one point on which the HPPOA PMAR Committee and County Planning have been in perfect accord.
With the agreed objective of providing Puna residents access to gainful employment and access to services, I maintain that a legitimate and considerable alternative to any road is investment in infrastructure in Puna so that Puna residents have an opportunity to access employment and services without driving to Hilo or anywhere else.
We have well-situated and hardly-utilized land set aside in planned communities where village center services can be established -- retail, industry, education, health, recreation.
We all recognize our island’s hyper-dependence on fossil fuel is untenable, and our transportation system is the principal user of fossil fuel.
We need to grow our local economy to reduce the need for driving to Hilo or anywhere else. That will require investment.
Invest in Puna!
The problem to be resolved, as framed by County Planning, is providing Puna residents access to gainful employment and access to services both commercial and social. That need is one point on which the HPPOA PMAR Committee and County Planning have been in perfect accord.
With the agreed objective of providing Puna residents access to gainful employment and access to services, I maintain that a legitimate and considerable alternative to any road is investment in infrastructure in Puna so that Puna residents have an opportunity to access employment and services without driving to Hilo or anywhere else.
We have well-situated and hardly-utilized land set aside in planned communities where village center services can be established -- retail, industry, education, health, recreation.
We all recognize our island’s hyper-dependence on fossil fuel is untenable, and our transportation system is the principal user of fossil fuel.
We need to grow our local economy to reduce the need for driving to Hilo or anywhere else. That will require investment.
Invest in Puna!