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Tuesday, January 20, 2015
January 20, 2015 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 7:06 PM :: 4629 Views

McCain challenges Jones Act build and ownership requirements

Duke Aiona Appointed Executive Director of Hawaii Family Advocates

Republican Statewide Caucuses to Elect Leaders

Kelii Akina Interviews Danny Kaleikini, Ambassador of Aloha

Hawaii Congressional Delegation How They Voted January 20, 2015

Smoking is a Million Dollar Habit--and Hawaii is More Expensive than Most

Parker Ranch sells rights to NextEra to Build Giant Windfarm

Representative Mele Carroll to resign from State House

HECO Plan Rewards Solar Contractors, Cuts Payments to Solar Consumers

Hawaii Doctor shortage grows 20% in One Year thanks to Obamacare, EMRs

SA: Hawaii's doctor shortage jumped 20 percent over the past year as more physicians left the field amid a growing demand for medical services.

New estimates on physician supply and demand peg the current shortage at 890, and that's expected to jump as high as 1,500 by 2020, according to the latest figures from the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine's Area Health Education Center.

What's more, the state is facing a potential wave of retirements with one-third of its doctors reaching retirement age in the next five years. An estimated 18 percent of doctors are already age 65 or older....

Despite the shortage, Withy said there are fewer than 40 open positions for doctors in the community.

That's because "traditionally, physicians chose to open their own practices, and nowadays they don't want to. They want a job," she said. "So even if we had 800 doctors who wanted to move to Hawaii, unless they wanted to open their own practice, we could not accommodate them." ...

"Physicians are looking more closely at how they can exit their practice early."

Doctors are frustrated with time-consuming governmental regulations and decreasing reimbursements, he said.

The changes in medicine, including penalties for physicians who don't move to electronic medical records and electronic prescribing in their practices, also are adding to the burden. It also is difficult to recruit new doctors because of the state's high cost of living and substantial overhead in private practice, Fong added.

"Doctors do feel the economic pressures placed on them," he said. "They feel government regulations place an undue burden and may compromise the time for quality care."

read ... Doctor Shortage

Nishihara to Push GE Tax Hike for Rail

PBN: Nishihara says he will introduce a bill that would extend the GET surcharge to help pay for rail.

Right now, the surcharge is set to expire in 2022, but Nishihara’s bill would remove the sunset date....

Lawmakers say there will be bills introduced from both the Senate and House to address the GET.

Rep. John Mizuno (D-Kalihi Valley, Kamehameha Heights, Moanalua, Fort Shafter), vice speaker of the House, believes health care will also be a key topic.

“Every year we’re paying between $40 and $50 million to help subsidize the Hawaii Healthcare Systems Corporation, so we’re looking at a possible public-private partnership to lessen the cost or the burden to Hawaii’s taxpayers,” he said.

PBN: Bills to watch: Adding e-cigarettes to Hawaii's smoking ban

read ... Tax Hike

Souki: Council and Mayor Must Both Ask Legislature for Tax Hike

Borreca: ...It is obvious, said Souki, who is starting his 33rd year representing Maui in the state House, that Honolulu's $5.26 billion rail system will need more tax money.

But, the state Legislature is not going to grant new taxing power without a reason.

"Right now there is $700 million in debt. If they do nothing, it will compound every year. It is not going away. The debt will increase," Souki said in an interview last week.

The state law allows Honolulu to get an extra half of 1 percent of the excise taxes paid in Honolulu to fund rail. The law says the tax increase stops in 2022, but now the city is realizing it will need more money past that date.

"So it is a big gorilla that requires some action to be taken," said Souki.

"The Council must come to the Legislature with the mayor and tell the Legislature that we need this to be repealed," Souki added.

"If the county Council does nothing and just lets it drag, the debt is going to increase," Souki warned....

read ... Legislature will roll over for city on tax extension

Saiki: We Expect Unions' Cooperation on HHSC Reform 

CB: ...Key problems include finding a way to stem the money bleed from the state’s public hospital system, a group of 13 public hospitals, which says it needs $267 million to stay afloat over the next two years.

In the past, the Hawaii Government Employees Association and the United Public Workers, the unions representing state hospital workers, have successfully blocked legislative attempts to save money by privatizing some public hospitals.

But this year, lawmakers say they have to look seriously at privatization, including a proposal for a private-public partnership between Hawaii Pacific Health and three Maui state hospitals.

House Majority Leader Saiki says, “The hospitals’ financial situation is very dire. All the interested parties know something has to be done. We expect some level of cooperation at this point from everyone including the unions.”....

read ... Time To Stop the Financial Bleeding

Mufi: Time to act now on what is right for Maui Memorial Medical Center

MN: The recent announcement that Hawai'i Pacific Healthcare and the Maui region of Hawaii Health Systems Corp., which includes Maui Memorial Medical Center, have agreed in principle to form a public-private partnership is extremely welcome news. It will assure the future of medical services on Maui and provide a higher level of care for patients....

It does not have to be this way. Consider the medical partnerships that have proved so successful in other communities: Queen's Medical Center in West Oahu (the old St. Francis), HPH/Wilcox Health on Kauai and Queen's/North Hawaii Community Hospital on the Big Island. Facilities and services have been upgraded and patients receive excellent care, all with no or minimal taxpayer support.

It is imperative for the people to press urgently for passage of legislation to make private-public partnerships possible. The public hospital crisis has been building for years. In the gubernatorial race, we did our best to draw attention to this issue and proposed specific solutions to break through the impasse. Now we have the chance to resolve the problem on Maui for the benefit of all. We cannot afford to let this opportunity slip through our fingers....

read ... Mufi

Hawaii Gov. David Ige wants ratepayers to benefit from $4.3B NextEra-HECO deal

PBN: Hawaii Gov. David Ige wants the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission to really be certain that ratepayers will benefit from Florida-based NextEra Energy's $4.3 billion acquisition of Hawaiian Electric Co. from parent Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc.

"The parties are paying a significant premium to executives of HEI," Ige told PBN. "So where is this significant premium paid to ratepayers? I hope the PUC and Consumer Advocate [take that into account]." ...

The deal, which needs several regulatory approvals, as well as HEI shareholder approval, is expected to close in the fourth quarter.

Reality: Morita Opposes NextEra Merger, Gets Boot

read ... Ige Wants Merger

Ige Admin Talks up NextEra, Windfarms and Big Cable

PBN: Morita, who was invited to speak as a panelist before announcing her resignation this week, did not address this issue. Instead, she cautioned that the state and energy stakeholders really needs to make sure that the NextEra acquisition of HECO has to benefit the public's interest and the state as a whole.

Ironically (In case anybody didn't get the hint about Ige's support for NextEra,) during the event, the governor's office sent out an announcement that former state lawmaker Randy Iwase has been named chair of the PUC....

Jeffrey Ono, executive director of the Hawaii Division of Consumer Advocacy, addressed the planned 24-megawatt Na Pua Makani wind farm, which was recently approved by the PUC, but has come under criticism by some community members claiming that the area already has enough wind farms

Rene Kamita, research branch chief of the Division of Consumer Advocacy, gave an update on the undersea cable, noting that in the end, the cable has to benefit consumers.

Richard Ha: Thanks to Mina Morita for Blocking AKP Biofool Scam

read ... Hawaii's energy stakeholders cover the hot issues at legislative hearing

HECO plans to reduce customer solar credits

SA: Hawaiian Electric Co. is expected to file a proposal Tuesday with the state Public Utilities Commission to cut nearly in half the net energy metering reimbursements offered to customers with rooftop photovoltaic systems.

The utility seeks to end the current NEM structure to make way for a new reimbursement model for rooftop-solar customers, said Leslie Cole-Brooks, executive director of the Hawaii Solar Energy Association, and Robert Harris, a representative of the Alliance for Solar Choice.

Customers now receive full retail credit for the excess net electricity sent to the grid from their rooftop PV systems. For January electrical bills the retail rate for Oahu customers is 29.5 cents per kilowatt-hour.

The utility will submit an application to the PUC requesting that the reimbursement rate be about 17 cents a kilowatt-hour, Cole-Brooks said.

The proposed reimbursement would change the credit that customers are receiving to a price structure closer to the base rate, Cole-Brooks said....

Accompanying the proposed changed reimbursement model for rooftop solar customers, the utility is expected to announce an increase in the capacity of rooftop solar that the grid can handle. Saturated areas are currently considered to have 120 percent photovoltaic penetration.

"They are recommending several changes, and some of them, including increasing the minimum daily load to 200 percent, is good news. It's going to open up circuits," Cole-Brooks said.  (Solar contractors rewarded while consumers get the shaft.)

read ... Reduce

LNG Will Save Ratepayers $111M/year

SA: ...Hawaii Gas put out a request for proposals in November for LNG suppliers worldwide to submit a bid for providing LNG and operating an offshore floating storage regasification vessel that would serve the state's demand for LNG. The vessel would regasify the LNG and deliver it to shore via a subsea pipeline. Hawaii Gas invited the suppliers to submit proposals before a Feb. 16 deadline.

"What we requested is we always want our LNG to be less expensive than the oil alternative in Hawaii," Boivin said. "That is the guiding principle. We asked the market how to do that, how to ensure that the equation always works out that way."

The gas utility estimated that LNG would be up to 40 percent less expensive than oil, equaling an annual savings of approximately $111 million per year.

The vessel where Hawaii Gas would regasify the LNG would cost $250 million to build and deploy for 15 years, Boivin said. Potential locations for the vessel include waters off Barbers Point and Pearl Harbor.

Having one vessel to convert LNG to gas for use in all sectors of Hawaii is the cheapest option for the state's ratepayers, Boivin said....

HECO will work on supplying LNG to its electric generators separately from Hawaii Gas, questioning whether a bulk terminal would help bring prices down for customers, HECO spokes­man Peter Rosegg said.

"Hawaiian Electric Cos. and Hawaii Gas have (a memorandum of understanding) still in effect to work together on a bulk LNG project in parallel with our container plans," he said....

read ... Something that makes Green energy Scammers cringe

Anti-Pesticide Hype Set to Open Legislature

KE: Right on cue, and just in time for Vandana Shiva's big shtick at the opening of the Lege tomorrow, Civil Beat has a long piece today on a bill that would require pesticide buffer zones and disclosure around schools.

The story is way premature, considering that Big Island Sen. Josh Green's bill hasn't even been drafted yet, much less introduced. So it's unclear just what it hopes to accomplish, or who may be affected. But then, Center for Food Safety has gotten adept at manipulating local media, and the timing suits CFS.

Still, the nagging question remains: Why, if the goal is to protect keiki from pesticide exposure, are only the seed companies being targeted? Especially when every case of documented pesticide poisoning in Hawaii has occurred in the child's home?

Though much has been alleged about westside students and teachers getting sick from pesticides, as best as I can recall, the only time such exposure has been documented was at Wilcox School in Lihue, where a nearby resident's use of pesticides caused a strong, nauseating odor. Similarly, Kahuku High and Intermediate students got sick from pesticides sprayed by a turf company, not a seed farm.

read ... More Hype, Less Solutions

Sledgehammer Tom Brower says 'Don't worry about bad publicity' from Homeless' Attack on Golfer

KHON: Could a mysterious attack on Australian golfer Robert Allenby hurt Hawaii’s tourism industry?

The story is making international headlines, and it’s enough to raise concerns.

“The incident is a slap in the face to everyone who has worked hard to present a clean image of Hawaii and trying to clean up the streets,” said Rep. Tom Brower (D-Waikiki, Ala Moana), chair of the House tourism committee.

But Brower says a lot can be done to change the negative perception of Hawaii created by this incident.

“As long as we handle it the correct way, (did Brower just say that?) provide sunshine on law enforcement and community support on what happened, I think we can turn this around and make this, what could have been a failure, a big win for the state because this is where our true character comes in,” he said.

KHON: Homeless Dude Claims He didn't do nuthin

Flashback: Worldwide Headlines: Sledgehammer Wielding 'Vigilante' Rep Brower is 'Extreme, Scary, Potentially Dangerous'-- Should be 'Behind Bars'

read ... Smashed

Trial starts for HPD chief's wife family squabble

AP: The attorney representing the wife of Honolulu's police chief denies that she stole money from her uncle and 95-year-old grandmother.

A civil trial started Tuesday, further exposing a family squabble that has led to allegations of police misconduct.

Chief Louis Kealoha's wife Katherine is the defendant in a civil lawsuit by her grandmother and uncle alleging she stole their money.

read ... Chief

UH in limbo as it waits to hear from NCAA

SA: This month the University of Hawaii moves quietly into the second year of NCAA limbo regarding its men's basketball program, still unsure when a notice of allegations will arrive.

It was last January when UH officials said they first determined that the infraction that touched off the NCAA investigation had occurred.

As of Monday, athletic director Ben Jay said, "we still haven't heard (when the notice will come). Nothing at all."

The UH Board of Regents is scheduled to be briefed on the situation Wednesday in an executive session that is closed to the public, according to the agenda.

read ... Limbo

Star-Adv Runs Old-News Hit Piece on Sam Slom

SA: Although the foundation hasn't filed a tax return since reporting $287,000 in revenues on its 2010 Form 990, it has continued to conduct business. Slom kept its registration up to date at the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, filing annual reports as recently as July, and holding events such as the annual SBH Business All Stars Awards Banquet in September 2013.

The foundation was a plaintiff along with Hono­­lulu­­Traffic.com and others in a lawsuit against the government over the Hono­lulu rail system in 2011 and actively solicited donations for that cause. That prompted a written complaint to the IRS by (progressive activist) Hannah Miya­moto, who alleged that the foundation was abusing its favorable tax status by soliciting tax-deductible donations but using the money to benefit individuals, a non-exempt organization and a political campaign.

"The tax-deductible status is a privilege granted by Congress to encourage activities which are considered publicly beneficial, but you have to do what's required to qualify for those benefits," Miya­moto, a Hono­lulu attorney, said when informed about the revocation.

read ... Hit Piece

First Wind's assets in Hawai`i to be Sold

IM: SunEdison is developing solar energy projects in Hawai`i.

SunEdison’s yieldco subsidiary -- TerraForm Power Inc. -- has proposed buying First Wind’s three wind generation facilities located in Hawai`i. The acquisition is described in a TerraForm Power Inc. S-1A filing made last week with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

First Wind owns three wind generation facilities in Hawai`i:Kaheawa Wind Power (KWP) I and II mauka of Ma`alaea, Maui, and Kahuku Wind on O`ahu.

The SEC filing notes some risks that could impact steady financial flows.

Some of the First Wind generation facilities use equipment originally produced and supplied by Clipper Windpower. The company’s equipment “has experienced certain technical issues with its wind turbine technology and may continue to experience similar issues.” Clipper no longer manufactures, warrants or services its wind turbine.

Kaheawa Wind Power II is a 21.0 MW expansion project located adjacent to the initial Kaheawa wind generation facility. KWP II relies on an Xtreme Power Battery Energy Storage System. Xtreme Power is in bankruptcy and is no longer providing replacement components. “Failure to maintain the battery system constitutes a default under KWP II’s PPA and could result in the termination of KWP II’s PPA, which could negatively impact our business financial condition, results of operations and cash flow.”

read ... First Wind's assets in Hawai`i to be Sold

Canada's role in building world's largest telescope in jeopardy

YN: Canada had agreed to put $300 million into the project, and now the time has come to hand over the funds to help continue construction. However, the federal government appears to be silent – and time is quickly running out....

read ... In Jeopardy

Usual Suspects Again Challenge Renewal of TV Licenses

KE: Opposition to the FCC’s renewal of the broadcast licenses for three Hawaii broadcast channels–KGMB, KHNL, and KFVE–appears to be gaining steam.

Media Council Hawaii, formerly known as the Honolulu Community-Media Council, filed a formal petition with the Federal Communications Commission on January 2, 2015. The council is represented by attorneys from the Institute for Public Representation in Washington, D.C.

Media Council Hawaii argues the combination of the three broadcast stations has harmed the public by reducing competition and diversity in news...

Reality: Raycom Honolulu TV Deal: Honolulu Community Media Council has its own issues with "media control"

read ... Challenge to television stations license renewals attracts support

A Look at Civil Forfeiture in Hawaii

KE: The controversial asset forfeiture program was launched three decades ago, allowing law enforcement to seize assets from suspected drug dealers and others in the "war on drugs." But the program has been rife with abuse, and an investigation by the Washington Post revealed that federal agencies and police trainers were encouraging cops to seize cash from motorists in the aftermath of the 9-11 attacks.

The paper learned that since Sept. 11. 2001, local and state police made 61,998 seizures worth nearly $2.5 billion — all without search warrants or indictments....

Critics of the practice note that even in Hawaii, citizens must bear the burden of proof if they believe their assets were wrongly seized. And if cash or other property has been seized, people often have a hard time funding an expensive legal challenge against the government. The Post found such challenges can take a year or more, and most seizures aren't challenged.

Critics also point out that law enforcement agencies also have strong incentive to seize assets, since they get to keep the money and property.

A report to the Legislature shows that Kauai law enforcement seized cars, cash and other property valued at $187,646 in 2011-12, which represented 35 percent of the statewide total.

read ... Musings: Forfeiting Assets

Honolulu Liquor commission email controversy

HNN: The Honolulu Liquor Commission said it recently took disciplinary action against Dexter Suzuki, a supervising administrator, for emailing an allegedly offensive cartoon to all 50 commission staffers last month.

It's a cartoon of a hooded man carrying a baseball bat with the caption "Shopping in Ferguson" -- a reference to the racial unrest in Missouri that led to some looting.

"That was inappropriate, it was racial and it should not be happening in the work place," said civil rights attorney Daphne Barbee.

"It's very disheartening. It's depressing. You come so far in civil rights and you would think people will respect peoples' ethnicity and then this happens."

Barbee represents an African-American woman, who has worked at the commission for about three years and received the email. Barbee said her client has filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

read ... Political Correctness

'Everybody who's got an issue' Joins MLK Day Parade

SA: Thousands of people lining Wai­kiki sidewalks cheered for scores of groups that marched Monday in the 27th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade, marking the holiday as a "a day on, not a day off," said a spokes­woman for the event.

"This is the people's parade, so everybody who's got an issue is here," said Marsha Joyner of the Hawaii Martin Luther King Jr. Coalition. "The only requirement is that there's no hate language."

At least 60 organizations — an estimated 2,000 marchers — representing groups ranging from faith-based networks to local unions, as well as a few businesses, lined up under the midmorning sun to march from Ala Moana Beach Park area to Kapiolani Park.

Dwight Witlarge, who took part in the parade with New York Life Hawaii, said, "Today's not just an African-American day. I think it's for all equality — for men, women and all minorities."

read ... Got an Issue

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