Thursday, March 28, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Friday, November 12, 2021
‘Community Based Energy’: $27.5M in GEMS for Hawaii Democratic Party Officials, Maui Councilmember
By Andrew Walden @ 8:20 PM :: 4955 Views :: Democratic Party, Maui County, Energy, Ethics

by Andrew Walden

Hawaii's Green Energy Market Securitization (GEMS) Program--funded by the "green infrastructure fee" on Hawaii electric bills--is delivering another big fat payoff to Hawaii political insiders--including a former Hawaii Democratic Party Chair and a current Maui Councilmember.

Under the so-called “Community-Based Renewable Energy” (CBRE) program, the Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority (HGIA) October 27, 2021, voted to set-aside $7.5M for the so-called Hoʻāhu Energy Cooperative.  HGIA also approved a resolution for Hoʻāhu to ‘borrow’ $20M from the US Department of Agriculture.

This has not previously been reported in Hawaii.

To fund this insider giveaway, the HGIA board voted to take away $2.5M set aside for low and middle income households and $5M set aside for multi-family projects.

Ho’ahu bills itself as “composed of community members who have been working towards energy independence on Molokai.”

Not.

Ho’ahu’s Board of Directors includes Walter Ritte’s sister Lori Buchannan, Makena Fernandez, husband of Maui County Council Vice-Chair Keani Rawlins-Fernandez, and former HD13 Democratic Party Chair and PRP operative Chair Todd Yamashita who also publishes the Molokai Dispatch.

Akamai readers will remember that Ritte has involved himself in previous failed schemes to build windfarms on Molokai--usually with the aim of seizing control of Molokai Ranch.  The result has mostly been mass unemployment on the island and political unpopularity for Ritte as evidenced by his poor performance in Molokai precincts in the 2020 Democratic Primary for HD13.

Ho’ahu was incorporated January 29, 2021, according to DCCA BREG.  In spite of its name, Ho’ahu is a corporation with a self-selected board of directors, not a cooperative.

Even before registering itself as a corporation, Ho’ahu selectedMana Pacific’ as its contractor and California-based Shake Energy to employ the Delphi Technique to ‘handle’ (conveniently remote-hosted) community meetings for the so-called community leaders.

Mana Pacific Directors include some rich people from suburban Detroit and one local name--Tim Vandeveer, former Chairman of the Hawaii Democratic Party. 

With that kind of backing, it is not surprising that Ho’ahu has been allowed warm fluffy column-inches on Civil Beat and the Star-Advertiser.

One of the insiders’ first acts was to eliminate any possible competition for their so-called community-based solar-battery project on Molokai.

Even prior to becoming legally existent, “Ho’ahu” wrote letters to the State public Utilities Commission on December 9, 2020 and January 6, 2021, and again April 14, 2021, seeking to eliminate competition from HECO’s ‘self-build team’ on Molokai. 

It worked. 

On July 14, 2021 HECO informed the State PUC:

The Company is willing to forego submitting a self-build proposal for the CBRE RFP on Moloka‘i if the Commission determines that is in the best interest of the Moloka`i community.

Another issue that was raised at the Status Conference was whether Hawaiian Electric could or should work directly with the Moloka‘i Clean Energy Hui and the Ho‘ahu Energy Cooperative Moloka‘i on determining project needs and community engagement.

The Company’s RFP rules expressly prohibit the Company from working directly with one developer to set procurement requirements or to determine island needs as this could be seen as giving such a developer a potentially unfair competitive advantage over other bidders with unequal access to information.

These concerns could be alleviated however, given that Hawaiian Electric has expressed its willingness to forego submitting a self-build proposal in response to the Moloka‘i CBRE RFP, and if no other parties are interested in participating in the CBRE RFP.

Then in October, Ililani Media reports, the PUC, “…put on hold the MECO request to release a Molokai request for proposals for new energy projects to enable the Ho'ahu Energy Cooperative Molokai and the Molokai Clean Energy Hui (MCEH) to engage in a community-wide effort to shape their island’s future.”

$27.5M cash and no competition: Political connections pay off.

---30---

Background:
Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT