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Publicly owned utilities are not "government owned" they are companies that are owned by the public, usually the ratepayers. A bunch of you seem to not have a grasp of that and are assuming this would be a government takeover of HELCO .
Rural electrification coops were founded all over the United States to bring electricity to rural communities, the cities were mostly served by for profit companies, but coops brought power to rural areas. Some of them have been operating for close to 100 years now in areas very similar to the Big Island in terms of serving thinly spread communities in places that get adverse weather conditions seasonally. These are not big government agencies, nor are they corporations focused on giving their shareholders big dividends, they are owned by the ratepayers and operated by professionals who are overseen by volunteer boards (who function much better than the HPP board).
Posts: 1,219
Threads: 52
Joined: Dec 2014
Publicly owned utilities are not "government owned" they are companies that are owned by the public, usually the ratepayers. A bunch of you seem to not have a grasp of that and are assuming this would be a government takeover of HELCO .
Rural electrification coops were founded all over the United States to bring electricity to rural communities, the cities were mostly served by for profit companies, but coops brought power to rural areas. Some of them have been operating for close to 100 years now in areas very similar to the Big Island in terms of serving thinly spread communities in places that get adverse weather conditions seasonally. These are not big government agencies, nor are they corporations focused on giving their shareholders big dividends, they are owned by the ratepayers and operated by professionals who are overseen by volunteer boards (who function much better than the HPP board).
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i can say, from experience, that the federal governments rural electrification program has worked! i am actually surprised that the rural electrification program was not activated long ago for the hawaiian islands.
anybody know why not?
Posts: 70
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Joined: Feb 2014
i can say, from experience, that the federal governments rural electrification program has worked! i am actually surprised that the rural electrification program was not activated long ago for the hawaiian islands.
anybody know why not?
Posts: 1,219
Threads: 52
Joined: Dec 2014
quote:
Originally posted by cinnaminnacat
i can say, from experience, that the federal governments rural electrification program has worked! i am actually surprised that the rural electrification program was not activated long ago for the hawaiian islands.
anybody know why not?
I would guess it was mostly over by the time Hawaii became a state.
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Update: (*Snipped - More at link)
http://www.civilbeat.com/2015/09/state-c...or-hawaii/
More than 40 state and county lawmakers united Thursday in a commitment to explore the potential of public utilities in Hawaii.
Their announcement comes as the Public Utilities Commission considers approving the proposed $4.3 billion sale of Hawaiian Electric Industries to Florida-based NextEra Energy.
HEI owns Hawaiian Electric Co. on Oahu; Maui Electric Co., which serves Maui, Lanai and Molokai; and Hawaii Electric Light Co. on the Big Island. Kauai, the only county now not powered by an HEI subsidiary, gets its energy from Kauai Island Utility Cooperative.
The PUC is holding meetings on each island, and taking testimony, which is not a "required" public meeting. The PUC Chairman, Iwase, called these meetings, which goes beyond the "call of duty", and law. Good for him!
No matter your position on this, make it known and write testimony, or show up to the PUC meeting at the end of this month (September).
Contact information for the PUC:
Public Comment in Opposition/Support to Nextera-HECO Change in Control Docket # 2015-0022.
hawaii.puc@hawaii.gov
Personally, it is my belief we will do much better under the Kauai model, and become a CO-OP. Fully support this effort, as do many others on the other islands. We need to speak up now, or never.
Ms. Connie Lau does NOT need her $15+ million "fire me please, platnium parachute package", to get this deal done. Neither do any of the other "parachute holders". Good God. We need a PUBLIC utility. That was the initial purpose and intent of Hawaiian Electric.
Time for change!
IMUA CO-OP, and mahalo to all those who support this effort.
JMO.
aloha Opihikao,
nothing else
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For additional reference, mahalo to Richard Ha, who continues to fight for "rubba slippa folk".
(*Snipped - More at link):
http://www.hamakuasprings.com/category/h...ooperative
NextEra is by far the biggest (but so were the dinosaurs, and they’re not around anymore).
Hawaii Island Energy Cooperative is big enough (it will be part of a 900-member cooperative association with its own, healthy, financial institution) and it’s about adapting. It’s about doing what we have the opportunity to do for the Big Island right now – changing our energy utility to a cooperative model – so we, and future generations, can adapt to changing conditions as needed, and survive and thrive.
Mahalo again, Mr. Ha, and others like him, who continue to work towards a better tomorrow for all of us and our issues. Akua bless this man, and his missions in life.
JMO.
Posts: 2,244
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Joined: Nov 2011
quote:
Originally posted by pog
aloha Opihikao,
nothing else
aloha, pog. [  ] Mahalo. Enjoy the evening. Life is short.
ETA: Forgot my JMO....lol.
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We need a PUBLIC utility.
Telecommunications, too.
One of the biggest assets HELCO has is their rights-of-way. Hang a GPON fiber network on those poles and bypass Telcom for the win.
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