Geothermal coming to Pohoiki's coast?

[Frankie Stapleton]

What's your reaction to this?

http://www.bigislandchronicle.com/2013/0...n-pohoiki/

[opihikao]

I know how Mililani Trask feels about it (so do lots of Hawaiian groups and organizations in the last half hour). She makes good points in this. Especially her last line; I agree 100%. JMO


Mililani Trask Responds to Latest Misinformation Letter from Davianna McGregor

This morning I received an email from Puna with an “Emergency” request from Prof. Davianna McGregor, an academic who was a member of the now defunct Pele Defense Fund. It contains information about a secret “Executive Session” meeting held at OHA to approve an OHA investment into Huena Power. There is no secret meeting & the email is replete with fabrication & deliberate lies. The facts are the following:

1. IDG has worked with OHA for 2 years on the need for OHA to invest in & control our Hawaiian Energy Resources & to work w/DHHL to ensure that our Hawaiian State Land Trustees participate in, control & benefit from our ceded land energy resource assets.

2. Over 1 year ago the OHA BAE Committee & BOT voted to support development using the IDG Native to Native Model. At that time Trustee Stender recused himself from the BOT meetings after declaring a conflict of interest but he did not fully disclose the nature of the conflict.

3. Nearly 1 month ago the OHA ARM voted to support the investment – Trustees Bob Lindsey, Hulu Lindsey, John Waihee, Peter Apo, and Rowena Akana Supported the investment & sent it to the BOT.

4. OHA hired a professional independent expert to conduct a due diligence for the OHA ARM Committee; the recommendation was that it was an excellent opportunity for OHA & its beneficiaries & that the investment was in conformity with OHA policy.

5. Davianna McGregor is lying when she says that Huena technology has been successful in New Zealand. The truth is Huena Power has no projects in New Zealand. Can McGregor tell us where these fictitious projects are?

6. According to McGregor, New Zealand has only geothermal mud so… the Huena technology will not work in Hawaii because it has magma. Another bold lie. Huena Power is an energy producer, it does not own technology.

7. The IDG projects in New Zealand are not using technology that will be used in Hawaii; the technology used in Hawaii is based on Hawaii’s geophysical.

8. Trustee Oz Stender was forced to resign as Chair of the OHA ARM because of an ongoing Ethics Commission investigation into his conduct regarding several OHA transactions. This past week, the IDG was notified that the Ethics Commission is conducting an investigation on OHA, Stender, the fiscal staff & their attorneys & that a subpoena was forthcoming for all IDG records re: Stender & OHA. IDG did not file any complaint against Stender but has agreed to work with the Commission.

9. Stender’s conflict relates to an official letter sent by Stender to IDG (on OHA letterhead signed as an OHA Trustee whereby Stender supported IDG & OHA’s development of geothermal. This letter has been sent to the Hawaii Ethics Commission for its investigation.

People should check out Davianna McGregor’s record before believing her false email. Davianna & the Pele Defense Fund never got arrested for Pele, it was the Ka Lahui Kupuna Wahine & Aunty Pele who led the march & got arrested.

I know, I was there as their attorney. PDF died years ago. We won the case at the Hawaii Supreme Court then & for 20 years no one has dared interfere with our rights to worship Tutu Pele.

Where has McGregor been all these years that Ormat, an Israeli-based geothermal company has continued to operate in Puna for 20 years?
Folks should find out why the legislature removed McGregor from the Kahoolawe Commission 2 years ago, too much hakaka & lies, just like her email.

On Thursday, many Hawaiians will be coming to support, including homesteaders & Hawaiian cultural practitioners & Kumu like Cy Bridges. Hawaiians own energy, including geothermal energy & we will fight for our lands & energy resources.

OHA’s received millions from geothermal revenues, its time they protect our energy assets for our future generations.

Hawaiians should be at the helm of developing and managing our land and natural resources.

Mililani B. Trask, Indigenous Consultants

[Pilgrim]

This is interesting to me because I've met a few people who were part of the movement to stop geothermal from developing Wao Kele O Puna back in the day. I understand that many native Hawaiians believe that geothermal is an affront to what they believe is sacred. To me, this is worth thinking about.

[Obie]

My reaction is the people who commented here are whacked out and smoke way too much pot!!!



Sara Steiner Says:
April 13th, 2013 at 7:53 pm

Sent my letters in, forwarded it to my friends, neighbors and acquaintances. Please you all, do the same. We really do not want more stinky toxic geothermal plants in Puna. Puna is not for sale to provide electricity for the rest of the state. Puna residents are not expendable for the corporate money lovers.
Robert Petricci Says:
April 13th, 2013 at 8:15 pm

Pohoiki is a gem.

Geothermal is an incompatible land use for the area.

They always try to dump the opala on the poorest people.

Geothermal is a corporate scam pushed by HELCCO and the politicians that have brought us the highest rates in the country. Same people, same rip off strategy, it’s a loser for the community and the ratepayers, hope there ready for a fight.

OHA will lose this money, it is foolish, a breach of their trust responsibilities, and irresponsible to gamble trust assets like that.

Who is getting the money? Follow the money.

[Pilgrim]

quote:

---

My reaction is the people who commented here are whacked out and smoke way too much pot!!!

---

I agree - but...
Too much, or not enough???

[dmbwest]

Dang it, Forgot her name, she always sitting there talking story with Uncle George. .... At very first, I would be interested in knowing what _______ Pohoiki property owner has to say.

aloha,
pog

[dmbwest]

Obie,

12.99 for Red Hook @ KTA

aloha
pog

[Obie]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Pilgrim

quote:

---

My reaction is the people who commented here are whacked out and smoke way too much pot!!!

---

I agree - but...
Too much, or not enough???

---

They are severely paranoid !!

I guess long term use is the reason for their continual irrational comments!!

[Frankie Stapleton]

I understand the point Ms. Trask is making. However, I was told by elderly Kapoho residents years ago that the entire area east of Pahoa toward the coast dropped about 50 feet in the mid-1920s. They told me the area was covered with coffee farms but the people sold the land and left when the land dropped. (I can't really recall exactly but I think I recall them saying Mr. Richard Lyman bought up a lot of the property.

The land dropping back then would coincide with the instability throughout lower Puna, including Pahoa roads splitting, etc. preceding the explosive May 1924 eruption of Halema'uma'u that erased the summit lava lake. The geologic dynamics of this entire system remain in great flux, as we can all recognize with what seems to be the re-establishment of the Halema'uma'u lava lake in the past year or so.

It was my understanding that the hotel development that was being pushed for the Pohoiki area in the 1970s was denied by the County Council when geologists testified the area was too unstable geologically for such development. Dr. Robert Decker compared the Puna coast to a crisp cookie where the edges keep crumbling and falling off.

Who in their right minds would invest in such an unstable area? People with money to burn like Halliburton?

Maybe we should insist that anyone doing such development has to pay for a second highway out of lower Puna before any such development can be started. That's what we should be insisting on anyway!

All other issues are truly secondary compared to the need for an alternative to the Highway 130 cul de sac that literally tens of thousands of us live on. And this proposed development just is a reminder of that basic fact. Evacuation plans? Can't really create an evacuation plan when there's just one way in and one way out!

[punaticbychoice]

Frankie:
I agree with you totally.
The most intelligent and accurate statement in this thread.
And maybe historically and contextually too.