Mililani Trask Files for OHA at Large Seat

[pahoated]

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Originally posted by opihikao
Time for OHA to be turned around, they have done nothing of substance for Puna yet. Millions of dollars in geothermal royalties, and not one of the Trustees can say where the money went! Give me a break. Time for change.

Pahoated, if only OHA & DHHL would stop the damn politics, and get to serving the people, and not just Hawaiians. JMO.

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Some misconceptions developing in these statements above. For Puna, OHA is working with DLNR to fence off forest reserves to try to bring back more endemic birds and restore lands plus OHA manages several Hawaiian homeland properties.

The legal ruling for geothermal funds only applies to geothermal plants on Hawaiian homelands. The stupid media is showing pictures of PGV with this news, typical media confusion. PGV is on private land and in fact, only leases a small plot in the middle of a large private property. As for the geothermal royalties PGV has paid so far, a share goes to the state, a share goes to OHA and a share goes to Hawaii county. The balances of these funds are fairly easy to look up. In Hawaii county, they have been sitting and piling up, now being dispersed to buy properties around PGV, buy some monitors, and finance a health study.

As for what constitutes a "native Hawaiian", that was defined in 1921:

"defined as “any descendant of not less than one-half part of the blood of the races inhabiting the Hawaiian Islands previous to 1778.” This means, you must have a blood quantum of at least 50 percent Hawaiian. This requirement remains unchanged since the HHCA’s passage in 1921."

This is similar to native American nations, although some of those are allowing 1/16th blood line. Also, the operation of OHA is similar to BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) with about the same feelings expressed towards the agency. As with BIA, the charter is not for "all the people". The charter is for natives and their land. The idea is that what is good for the natives will be good for the general population. However, the general population does not factor into OHA operations at all.

"This island Hawaii on this island Earth"