The life of the land is perpetuated in incompetence & Liquified Natural Gas

[Punatang]

   

At the end of the day out here in Puna, where we just get the ends, "the means" feel downright mean sometimes when there is corruption or incompetence involved. Hawaii sure seems to have plenty of both.  Folks tend to agree that we have a real counting, accounting, and accountability crisis in this state.  

Again and again opacity rules the day.  It can be downright comical watching people defend their chosen fiefdoms and friends passionately to the end, even though the incompetence and/or corruption are common knowledge and total transparency is rarely on the menu.  

Three very recent articles, below, do a good job of framing this.  Two of them are CIVIL BEAT articles by Neal Milner.

The third article is a Hawaii News Now article by David Huff and, full transparency, it hits close to home. It involves someone who I came to know and befriend, over a quarter of a century ago, across multiple islands.  Since all the way back in the Waipunalei days, he has never ever, even remotely, appeared to be incompetent or corrupt.  Quite the contrary, even in those younger years he was advising US Senators and creating beautiful paintings of his neighbors on Jardin Road.  Still yet, I can easily envision prolific posting Punawebbers, who are either anti-LNG or avid proponents of geothermal or other renewable energy sources, calling him "willfully ignorant", "vile", "nefarious", "nonnative" "nincompoop", "corrupt", and worse.  Are they all conspiracy theorists?  Pikachus? Can it be something other than incompetence or corruption?  Was it simply unintentional or an unavoidable dearth of transparency?  Is it really just "desktop analysis" meant to spark discussion and not for the promotion of policy?  I sure hope so. Plenty kālā involved. While he and I are not 100% aligned by any means on politics or policy, I have a great deal of respect and appreciation for him. My instincts make me want to defend him. Is that pono?

Sylvia Luke made a career out of literally shredding those who came before her without their books in order.  Guess what?  It appears that at a minimum, her books are not in order.  Some think it's much worse.  Pikachus?  Conspiracy theorists? Can it be something other than incompetence or corruption?  Maybe.  Is she nefarious?  Is she vile?  Hypocrite?  In the absence of transparency will everyone form the same opinion?  Are we bad people if we don't?  Plenty of folks are standing by her.  Are their motivations righteous or is it because it is in their interest to do so?

Are these public servants who stumble before us all complete fools or Ty Cullen & Kalani English types?  Maybe not, but when it all trickles down to Puna, it feels pretty much the same as we go around the roundabout.

They say that liars can figure but figures don't lie.  The reality is that here in Hawaii, we see that very often the data, the interpretation, the methodology, honest mistakes, and more, can make a liar out of some very good people. Leave it to the experts? Sometimes what we see is just bad faith loudly proclaiming to be something else while desperately refusing us an opportunity to verify and clear the air. Trust the process?

Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono

https://www.civilbeat.org/2026/03/neal-m...ous-thing/

https://www.civilbeat.org/2026/03/neal-m...ompetence/

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/04/03...r-mistake/

[HiloJulie]

The Tang: Trust the process?

In as much as I'm going to leave the word by word, sentence by sentence, thought by thought analysis of your above post to others, I would point out that if one desires to discuss "people defend(ing) their chosen fiefdoms," or "total transparency" or "Conspiracy theorists" or (being)"nefarious" or (being a)"Hypocrite" or "see that very often the data, the interpretation, the methodology, honest mistakes, and more, can make a liar out of some very good people," one has to reconcile with the motivations of one trying to make a point by using 2/3's of their source material from a news outlet that you have said this about Civil Beat or have said this about Civil Beat or have said this about Civil Beat contributors or have said this about Civil Beat. (OK I'll stop)

At any event, I'd suggest that talking about of both sides of your mouth to suit the opinion trying to be conveyed may NOT make the whole discussion "transparent."

[ironyak]

"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." - Hanlon's razor

That's said, many of us commented on the LNG study by the Hawaiʻi State Energy Offices questioning the analysis especially as it only looked at LNG vs bunker fuel, not LNG versus solar, wind, geothermal, and all the other local options for generating electricity. The fact that all this commentary was ignored does raise the question - are those involved incompetent or biased and motivated towards a particular outcome for one reason or another?

Not sure of the answer, but the math in clear that LNG is at this point an outdated solution compared to all the other options on the table of plenty electrons in Hawai'i.

Star-Advertiser - March 19, 2026
Spreadsheet error inflated benefits of LNG by up to $1.2 billion, expert says
"...
The debate intensified Tuesday with the state’s announcement of a roughly $2 billion proposal from JERA, Japan’s largest energy producer, for an LNG-fueled power plant on Oahu that officials say would cut electricity costs by about 20%. Gov. Josh Green has hailed the project as “transformative,” but critics argue it rests on flawed assumptions, exposes ratepayers to fuel-price volatility and risks locking Hawaii into another climate-damaging fossil fuel.

The error in the state’s LNG report was first identified by Mattias Fripp, director of global research at Energy Innovation Policy and Technology LLC and a former associate professor of electrical engineering at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, who reviewed a spreadsheet used to calculate LNG cost savings in the state’s LNG study.

Fripp said the spreadsheet excluded the cost of the LNG fuel itself, and when he corrected the error, “poof, all the savings went away. This scenario became quite similar to the other ones that they had run, which really didn’t show significant benefits.”
...
After the Star-Advertiser sent Glick a screen recording demonstrating the alleged problem, Glick confirmed Monday that there was a flaw in the spreadsheet — though he maintained that it did not undermine the overall study.
...
Glick claimed the rest of the study was accurate. But Fripp said he also found additional issues in the study, including assumptions and judgment calls that consistently favored LNG over renewable energy alternatives. Fripp also found mistakes that made LNG look more favorable in some instances, which is “what a good analyst would do,” Griffin said. Fripp said that while there were some factors that favored LNG, all of the data together did not support LNG investment.
...
Roberts told the Star-­Advertiser that he did not think the state had properly weighed the benefits of using solar or wind, which are generally cheaper and easier to build.
...
House Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection chair Rep. Nicole Lowen (D-Kailua-Kona-Honokohau-Puuanahulu) told the Star‑Advertiser that the state’s claim that the study was merely a feasibility analysis is contradicted by its actions.

“Up to the date of the hearing, all the actions prior over more than a year, they use the study as the primary piece of supporting evidence for promoting this LNG proposal,” she said.

After the hearing, Lowen directed the state Energy Office to address Fripp’s concerns by Friday. She also requested that UHERO and the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute review the LNG study and data and submit reports.

Lowen said she expects state studies to be accurate and rigorous enough to withstand peer review.

“Based on this study,” she said, “I would have serious concerns about the current leadership and the Energy Office’s ability to present us any information that we could deem as trustworthy on this matter.”" (emphasis mine, more at link)

[randomq]

Thanks for the articles, Punatang. Though I wouldn't jump to any conclusions, I sure would be interested to know if Glick has any recent ties or transactions with the LNG industry. But more likely he just made an honest mistake. Maybe he was going through something in his life at the time he did the research, and it didn't get his full attention?

Humans make mistakes, it's how we own up to them and improve for the future that matters. That's why businesses and governments design processes that don't rely on any one person, have checks and balances, preserve records, have independent inspectors general, etc. so they can identify and learn from their mistakes. Unfortunately we have a lot of recent examples of important people and organizations failing us at the top and *not* owning up to it, and that mistrust then trickles down to every part of our society, painting simple mistakes and misunderstandings in the worst possible light.

[HiloJulie]

At this point, regardless of this "billion dollars" being a mistake, incompetence or corruption, LNG has now passed its usefulness and needs to go the way of the dinosaur that created it as the technology advancements especially in solar and battery storage as well as wind and even geothermal far outweigh any benefits LNG could provide now.

If we had spearheaded and pioneered LNG back 20 plus years ago when first floated as a suggestion, as well as used American technologies and know how, (make America First and all that) instead of study after study, consultant after consultant, meeting after meeting, and being very clear here for the nitpicking separating the fly poop from the pepper group, LNG would have been a small first step in lowering total carbon output, while simultaneously developing and getting solar and battery storage and wind and geothermal to be "shovel ready" projects that could have been starting to be implemented today.

But as we sit here now today, still chugging out the bunker oil burning carbon for a majority of power generation, were still a decade or two out from meaningful fossil fuel dependency reductions, instead of pissing away the last 20 years to now first getting proposals for LNG conversion from a Japanese company and then finding out there is a billion dollar mistake.

[Punatang]

Random - I sure would be interested to know if Glick has any recent ties or transactions with the LNG industry.

Glick has been intertwined with the LNG industry for 40 years. His resume is publicly disclosed and he has recused himself at times, in his current position, due to his LNG connections.

Yak -That's said, many of us commented on the LNG study by the Hawaiʻi State Energy Offices questioning the analysis especially as it only looked at LNG vs bunker fuel, not LNG versus solar, wind, geothermal, and all the other local options for generating electricity. The fact that all this commentary was ignored does raise the question - are those involved incompetent or biased and motivated towards a particular outcome for one reason or another?

Conspiracy?  It's hard not to entertain the idea right? One has to wonder what the outcome would be if Josh Green had a 40 years long dedicated disciple of solar in the job, or a geothermal evangelist.

The whole situation reminds me of a story:

One night, Mulla Nasrudin (a wise-fool figure from Sufi and Middle Eastern folklore) was on his hands and knees under a streetlamp, frantically searching the ground. A neighbor walked by and asked, “Mulla, what are you looking for? “My house keys,” Nasrudin replied.The neighbor joined him in the search for a while. After some time, the neighbor asked, “Where exactly did you lose them?” Nasrudin pointed off into the darkness toward his house and said, “Over there, in my house.” Shocked, the neighbor exclaimed, “Then why are you searching here under the lamp?”Nasrudin answered, “Because this is where the light is.”

HJ -If we had spearheaded and pioneered LNG back 20 plus years ago when first floated as a suggestion

Glick did.  He would have had us all using LNG in vehicles as well as power generation waaayyyyy back in the 80's but the support (light) just hasn't been there...

...until now.  

[ironyak]

Yak - The fact that all this commentary was ignored does raise the question - are those involved incompetent or biased and motivated towards a particular outcome for one reason or another?
Tang - Conspiracy?  It's hard not to entertain the idea right? One has to wonder what the outcome would be if Josh Green had a 40 years long dedicated disciple of solar in the job, or a geothermal evangelist.

When someone with 45+ years experience in the energy field can't put together an accurate excel sheet with the full costs of LNG being accounted for it looks like either:
A) Someone past their prime and unable to perform the basic functions of their position, including allowing and requiring their staff to do a full review and revision process...
B) Someone stuck on an idea from the 80's, like tariffs, that refuses to acknowledge that modernity has surpassed their preferred option and is willing to cook the books to avoid admitting that reality.

Neither is a great look, which is why they've largely undermined their reputation and triggered multiple calls that outside assessments are needed for their recommendations. Should have taken the W a decade ago on the move to 100% renewables, instead of this late to the game pivot to LNG.

Glick did.  He would have had us all using LNG in vehicles as well as power generation waaayyyyy back in the 80's but the support (light) just hasn't been there... ...until now.  
Who is the "us" in that statement (Glick didn't even visit Hawai'i till the late 80's IIRC, so he was looking at LNG powered vehicles during his time back in Texas?) And the support for LNG still isn't there, as most everyone who actually does the economic and environmental math have seen "the light" and are leaving LNG behind as a deadend solution in the move to 100% renewable energy for Hawai'i over the next 20 years. (unless those involved are just going to bypass the processes to get their bag?)

[Punatang]

Ironyak - When someone with 45+ years experience in the energy field can't put together an accurate excel sheet with the full costs of LNG being accounted for it looks like either:

A) Someone past their prime and unable to perform the basic functions of their position, including allowing and requiring their staff to do a full review and revision process...
B) Someone stuck on an idea from the 80's, like tariffs, that refuses to acknowledge that modernity has surpassed their preferred option and is willing to cook the books to avoid admitting that reality.

C) Someone fulfilling the wishes of their boss, whatever that takes.
D) Quite possibly some other stuff.

Ironyak - Should have taken the W a decade ago on the move to 100% renewables, instead of this late to the game pivot to LNG.

Wouldn't it have been better to have, "taken the W", twenty (20) years ago?  From your informative link:

"At the core of the debate is a claim of potentially lower energy costs, and a deeper question about the kind of energy system we want for Hawaiʻi. [Republican] Governor Linda Lingle opposed LNG, warning it would distract from investments in wind, solar, and geothermal energy. Her successor, [Democrat] Neil Abercrombie, supported LNG..." (Emphasis Mine)

Ironyak - Who is the "us" in that statement (Glick didn't even visit Hawai'i till the late 80's IIRC, so he was looking at LNG powered vehicles during his time back in Texas?) 

"Us," in this case, means all of us. As in humanity, Glick was, and apparently still is, very passionate about LNG, IMO. The kind of guy you might hire to move things in that direction...

Ironyak - And the support for LNG still isn't there, as most everyone who actually does the economic and environmental math have seen "the light" and are leaving LNG behind as a deadend solution in the move to 100% renewable energy for Hawai'i over the next 20 years. 

Well, the support of the one person with the pulpit to make it happen, is there. This is what I was referring to. Again, from your useful link:

"Now, Governor Josh Green has reopened the door to LNG. While he has issued an executive order accelerating renewable energy on neighbor islands, he has also expressed support for LNG as a temporary solution and directed the HSEO to study alternative fuels. These mixed signals combined with a lack of details for a long term plan risk locking the state into decades of fossil fuel use and deepening environmental and public health harms." (Emphasis mine)

Ironyak - (unless those involved are just going to bypass the processes to get their bag?) [Emphasis Added]

They? Hmmm. Well, I guess if you are suggesting, by your choice of links and your A) & B) above, that with all of these questionable hiring motives plus apparent incompetence and/or bad faith, that a waiver of the public bidding process would be "a [very] bad look" indeed, then we are in total agreement.

Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono

[ironyak]

Tang - C) Someone fulfilling the wishes of their boss, whatever that takes.
Boss still takes the blame - can't throw the underlings under the fuel-cell bus, especially when Glick is still trying to defend the study even after the "oversight" was identified.

D) Quite possibly some other stuff.
Such as?

Wouldn't it have been better to have, "taken the W", twenty (20) years ago?
Lingle made the choice to skip on LNG and push forward with the longer term solution of renewables, Abercrombie reversed this to favoring LNG, Ige reversed it away from LNG again, now Green is reversing it again back to LNG. The lack of long term planning and commitment is definitely a hindrance to making sustained progress, especially compared to some places that actually plan in decade and longer time frames.

"Us," in this case, means all of us. As in humanity, Glick was, and apparently still is, very passionate about LNG, IMO. The kind of guy you might hire to move things in that direction...
Cool - burn a different fossil fuel than guzzoline in the race to a Mad Max:Fury Road future... I call dibs on the flamethrower guitar.

Well, the support of the one person with the pulpit to make it happen, is there. This is what I was referring to. Again, from your useful link:
"Now, Governor Josh Green has reopened the door to LNG. While he has issued an executive order accelerating renewable energy on neighbor islands, he has also expressed support for LNG as a temporary solution and directed the HSEO to study alternative fuels. These mixed signals combined with a lack of details for a long term plan risk locking the state into decades of fossil fuel use and deepening environmental and public health harms." (Emphasis mine)
Yep.

They? Hmmm. Well, I guess if you are suggesting, by your choice of links and your A) & B) above, that with all of these questionable hiring motives plus apparent incompetence and/or bad faith, that a waiver of the public bidding process would be "a [very] bad look" indeed, then we are in total agreement.
So there appears to be a  "they" involved with this last minute full court press for LNG from Green, Glick/HSEO, and JERA. Hopefully the ineptitude of HSEO's study is enough to torpedo this attempted lock-in to fossil fuels and the associated higher prices for everyone's electricity compared to renewables, and enough people can raise a stink about JERA trying to "reinvent"/bypass the PUC process (even HECO is getting in on the beat down action), but the fix may be in and everyone tied to the grid gets to pay for it in their bills up front, and then in the long term health and environmental impacts that affects all the life of the land.

Lucky we live Hawai'i, ne?

[Punatang]

Tang - C) Someone fulfilling the wishes of their boss, whatever that takes.
Ironyak - Boss still takes the blame - can't throw the underlings under the fuel-cell bus, especially when Glick is still trying to defend the study even after the "oversight" was identified.
Agree 100% with you on that.  However, I was speaking of Glick's boss, who hired him.  The Honorable Josh Green-san. The yen stops here?

Tang - D) Quite possibly some other stuff.
Ironyak - Such as?
Let the unsubstantiated theories (beyond A, B & C) begin?  Hmmm, nothing off the top of my head. Let's both put on our Pikachu thinking caps and I'm sure something will Hitomi, or you.  Brain - input Japan, Jones Act, political aspirations, HECO, war chest, military, BTUs, solar, geothermal, dynasty, windmills,... ummm - oh!  Mou Amai Gasu Aishiteru?  

Tang-Wouldn't it have been better to have, "taken the W", twenty (20) years ago?
Ironyak - Lingle made the choice to skip on LNG and push forward with the longer term solution of renewables, Abercrombie reversed this to favoring LNG, Ige reversed it away from LNG again, now Green is reversing it again back to LNG. The lack of long term planning and commitment is definitely a hindrance to making sustained progress, especially compared to some places that actually plan in decade and longer time frames.
Go Kings? (and/or Queens+++)? What would King Kamehameha plan, long term if he were alive today? How many Kukui Nut trees would it take to supply enough biodiesel?  

Tang - "Us," in this case, means all of us. As in humanity, Glick was, and apparently still is, very passionate about LNG, IMO. The kind of guy you might hire to move things in that direction...
Yak - Cool - burn a different fossil fuel than guzzoline in the race to a Mad Max:Fury Road future... I call dibs on the flamethrower guitar.
No fair!

Tang - Well, the support of the one person with the pulpit to make it happen, is there. This is what I was referring to. Again, from your useful link:
"Now, Governor Josh Green has reopened the door to LNG. While he has issued an executive order accelerating renewable energy on neighbor islands, he has also expressed support for LNG as a temporary solution and directed the HSEO to study alternative fuels. These mixed signals combined with a lack of details for a long term plan risk locking the state into decades of fossil fuel use and deepening environmental and public health harms." (Emphasis mine)
Ironyak - Yep.
So that happened. I've never felt this way before. Marks calendar.

Tang - They? Hmmm. Well, I guess if you are suggesting, by your choice of links and your A) & B) above, that with all of these questionable hiring motives plus apparent incompetence and/or bad faith, that a waiver of the public bidding process would be "a [very] bad look" indeed, then we are in total agreement.
Yak - So there appears to be a  "they" involved with this...
Yep.

Lucky we live Hawai'i, ne?
So lucky.  Aironiyaku-san, chiteki de keii aru taiwa o itadaki kōei desu.