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Monday, April 12, 2021
April 12, 2021 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 11:07 AM :: 2070 Views

Trump campaign boosted by $1.7M Pass Thru via Hawaii GOP

Financially Literate States -- Hawaii Ranks 39th

U.S.-Taiwan Partnership in the Pacific Islands

Tax Hike Coming: HB243 Sea Level Excuse means Bloated Government Budgets needed to fund grab for Biden Bucks

SA: … House Bill 243, which unanimously passed the Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday, would require the Office of Planning to work with state departments to identify existing and planned facilities that are vulnerable to the increased flooding and more powerful storms that are anticipated with climate change, and assess options such as flood-proofing or relocating buildings and infrastructure inland.

The measure also would require annual progress reports be submitted to the governor, Legislature and coordinating agencies.

Statewide, 6,500 structures located along shorelines are expected to be damaged or destroyed with 3.2 feet of sea level rise, which could occur by 2060, according to the Hawaii Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation report, published in December 2017.

(None of this is real.  But this is an opportunity to grab federal money and use it to re-green Hawaii shorelines.  So now is the time to recite the sacred phrases of the eco-religion and perform the rituals.  Remember: Pretending is believing.) 

Some of the affected structures include hotels, shopping malls, businesses, schools and homes. The report estimated the value of flooded structures, combined with the value of the 25,800 acres projected to be flooded, at $19 billion. That figure didn’t include utilities, roads, wastewater systems and other public infrastructure that’s being threatened. More than 38 miles of major roads are expected to be chronically flooded, such as Kuhio Highway on Kauai, Kamehameha Highway on Oahu and Honoapiilani Highway on Maui….

State Rep. David Tarnas, the bill’s lead sponsor and chairman of the House Water and Land Committee, said the bill has taken on increased urgency as President Joe Biden pushes his $2 trillion infrastructure plan, which could help Hawaii with its massive coastal infrastructure problems….

(Translation: This is an attempt to grab federal tax dollars to clear off Hawaii shorelines in an effort to maximize the tourism experience.  Remember: Tourism is environmentalism and environmentalism is tourism. --John 1:1, the Book of Gaia)

Tarnas (D, Kaupulehu-­Waimea-Halaula) said that without a state plan addressing infrastructure issues, it will be hard to shepherd federal dollars to these areas of need.  (See? Told you.)

some of the commission’s own members who lead state agencies have pushed back against HB 243, including Phyllis Shimabukuro­-Geiser, chairwoman of the Board of Agriculture, and Kenneth Hara, adjutant general for the Department of Defense….

Hara told lawmakers that an increase in natural disasters and state emergencies is taxing the department’s resources. He said last week it wouldn't be feasible to carry out the measure without more money from the Legislature.

The Defense Department’s general funds would be decreased by 26.7% under a House version of the state budget bill, which it is still debating, increasing Hara’s concerns….  (Mo’ money.)

The departments of Accounting and General Services, Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Human Services and the Attorney General also raised concerns about the bill. The latter said it would need more money to carry out the bill’s requirements.

“Compliance will require hiring of architects, engineers, coastal geologists, and other experts in relevant areas,” Attorney General Clare Connors wrote in testimony opposing the bill….

(Translation: We need more state taxpayer money to pay to develop a sales pitch for federal taxpayer money.)

read … State lawmakers advance bill on rise in sea level

Thirty Meter Telescope still on hold as it awaits decision on $850M funding

SA: … Last summer, officials with the Thirty Meter Telescope said they would delay construction of the landmark observatory planned for Mauna Kea until at least spring, given the pandemic and other factors.

Well, spring has sprung, the pandemic is still with us and there’s still no sign of construction crews….

Another factor in the delay, he said, is funding. He said the project is awaiting the recommendations of the Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey (Astro 2020), sponsored by NASA, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy, which will prioritize projects for future major U.S. funding. A report is expected sometime later this year.

TMT officials are hoping their project figures prominently in the survey’s report, because it will likely lead to a much-needed influx of cash for a project whose price tag has jumped by a billion dollars to $2.4 billion due to construction delays, inflation and other costs.

In an effort to obtain the extra funding, the TMT teamed up with the Giant Magellan Telescope, which is planned for Chile, and the U.S. National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory to propose a U.S. Extremely Large Telescope Program, which would offer American astronomers viewing coverage of 100% of the sky in both the Northern (TMT) and Southern (GMT) hemispheres.

Last year, TMT and GMT jointly made a presentation to the Astro2020 survey panel in hopes of getting its blessing, and TMT submitted a planning and design proposal to the National Science Foundation with the aim of scoring $850 million….

Meanwhile, the state House of Representatives is forming a working group that aims to develop recommendations for a new Mauna Kea management structure over the next year. As proposed, half of the 14-member panel would be Native Hawaiians….

TMT spokesman Scott Ishikawa said the tallest mountain on La Palma in Spain’s Canary Islands remains a viable alternative site for the telescope.

Last month the Spanish Senate gave its unanimous support for La Palma to host the TMT and has asked the government, both national and local, to take all necessary actions to help make it happen, according to news reports in Spain….

HC: Harvard Astrophysicists Help Make Historic Discovery in Understanding Black Hole’s Magnetic Fields

read … Thirty Meter Telescope still on hold as it deals with pandemic, funding issues

Ige Withdraws Land Board Nominee Sam Gon

CB: … Gon’s position on the BLNR was at the center of a challenge to the Kahuku wind farm’s permit to kill bats. A community group argues that Gon improperly participated in voting on the plan…..

read … Ige Withdraws Land Board Nominee Sam Gon

SB159: Automatic voter registration bill nears passage

HTH: … Senate Bill 159 would make voter registration part of the application process for a driver’s license or identification card. The measure was passed by the state House on Friday, with only one vote — Rep. Bob McDermott (R-Oahu) — in opposition. The bill now returns to the Senate and will likely head to conference committee to resolve differences between the House and Senate amendments.

The most significant discrepancy between the two lies in specific language whether one would be required to opt into or opt out of registering to vote. Under the Senate’s proposal, a qualified applicant would automatically be registered to vote upon completion of the license/identification card application unless affirmatively declining registration; under the House’s proposal, one would not be registered to vote until they’ve made the choice to register….

read … Automatic voter registration bill nears passage

Designed to Fail: Police Shootings Board Is Still Doing Nothing As Cases Pile Up

CB: … The eight-member board is now down three members and still has no clear plan on when to resume business….

the board has not met since early 2020. Meanwhile, there are more than a dozen cases of police killings pending before the board….

read … Police Shootings Board Is Still Doing Nothing As Cases Pile Up

Sailor’s suicide after Kahala Hotel barricade is the third tied to Hawaii’s submarine force in past 16 months

SA: … The death of a sailor of a self-inflicted gunshot after a barricade situation at the The Kahala Hotel & Resort was the third tied to Hawaii’s submarine force in the past 16 months….

CB: The Navy Has Promised Action On Mental Health And Suicide, But Sailors Are Still Dying

FOX: Lt Commander

read … Sailor’s suicide after Kahala Hotel barricade is the third tied to Hawaii’s submarine force in past 16 months

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