Ige Signs HB1848: “Hawaii Student Journalism Protection Act”
Brig. Gen. Arthur ‘Joe’ Logan chosen as Honolulu’s next police chief
Ige Appoints Two to Ethics Commission
Policy experts: Hawaii does not need to be in the retirement fund business
Hu Honua: Can KSBE and ILWU Make Big Island Ratepayers Cough up $285M? Appeal to State Supreme Court Next
IM: … The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC) rejected Hawaii Electric Light Company (HELCO) application of for an amended and restated power purchase agreement (PPA) with Hu Honua Bioenergy LLC. The proposed contract was opposed by the Consumer Advocate, Life of the Land, and Tawhiri Power.
The decision was 2-1. Chair James Griffin and Commissioner Jennifer Potter signed onto the majority opinion:
Tawhiri Power, owner of the South Point wind farm, states that "the Amended PPA will result in higher monthly bills for ratepayers, which HELCO estimates to be an increase of $10.97 increase per month for an average residential customer, and will also increase HELCO’s revenue requirements by $285,746,325 over the 30-year term.” …
Hu Honua can file an appeal to the Hawaii Supreme Court per Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) §269-15.5 and Rule 4 of the Supreme Court’s Hawaiʻi Rules of Appellate Procedure….
“When a civil appeal is permitted by law, the notice of appeal shall be filed within 30 days after entry of the judgment or appealable order.”….
Hu Honua issued a statement, “We are carefully reviewing the PUC’s decision and determining our legal options for moving forward, including a motion for reconsideration with the PUC and, if necessary, the filing of an appeal with the Hawai‘i Supreme Court.”…
EDITOR’s NOTE: This scam project exists to create a profitable way for KSBE to dispose of the eucalyptus trees it planted on the old Hamakua Sugar lands in the 1980s. (And paid Larry Mehau $30K a month to ‘protect’.) ILWU would get the jobs at Hu Honua. The ratepaying public exists to service this old boy combination by paying an extra $285M for electricity. Will the State Supreme Court order Big Island ratepayers to submit to this mafia? We will find out soon.
read … What`s Next for the Proposed Hu Honua Tree-Burning Project
Phony Populism: Special Interest Money Fuels Kai Kahele’s ‘Leadership PAC’
CB: … Hawaii Congressman Kai Kahele continues to raise money from corporate donors, lobbyists and political action committees for his federal campaign committee despite a gubernatorial campaign promise not to do so for his state campaign, federal campaign finance reports filed last week show.
Kahele still operates Gil PAC, a federal leadership PAC that’s received nearly $60,000 in contributions since he was first elected to Congress in 2020. Some of his biggest donors include the Air Line Pilots Association, which he’s a member of as a Hawaiian Airlines pilot, defense contractor BAE Systems and the American Crystal Sugar Co.
Just last month Gil PAC — which is named for Kahele’s late father, former state Sen. Gil Kahele — pulled in $5,000 from Nike and Microsoft, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.
The most recent reports covered contributions and spending for the month of April.
Kahele cannot use any of the money he’s raised for Gil PAC in his state race. But the contributions do stand in stark contrast to his vow only to accept grassroots donations while running for governor.
Many of the special interest contributions Kahele received through Gil PAC came in as he was preparing for his gubernatorial campaign, which he told supporters he was considering at least since January. The same is true of his federal campaign committee….
Schatz and U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono are the other members of Hawaii’s federal delegation who have their own leadership PACs. Hawaii Congressman Ed Case does not.
Since the beginning of 2021, Schatz and Hirono’s leadership PACs have raised more than $810,000 between them. Like Kahele, much of the money came from a range of special interests, from Native American tribes and defense contractors to transportation unions and Fortune 500 companies.
Hawaii PAC, which is Schatz’s leadership committee, spent large sums on fundraising over the past two years, but the senator also gave tens of thousands of dollars to political campaigns across the country, including at least $85,000 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
In April alone, Hawaii PAC donated $5,000 to Democratic senate candidate Cheri Beasley in North Carolina and another $5,000 to the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.
Hirono’s Pineapple PAC, meanwhile, has directed at least $175,000 in direct contributions to her Democratic colleagues, including $10,000 to Schatz, who faces reelection this year. She’s also given to other political organizations, including the DSCC, the Hawaii Democratic Party and EMILY’s List, which aims to elect more Democratic pro-choice women to Congress.
read … Special Interest Money Fuels Hawaii Delegation’s Leadership PACs
Putin Says Mazie Hirono is Welcome to Visit
CB: … Three out of four members of Hawaii’s federal delegation are banned from visiting Russia, according to a newly published list of 963 Americans who are no longer allowed to enter the country.
The only one who isn’t? U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono….
read … Three Hawaii Politicians Among Americans Banned From Russia
Shipping organization calls for Jones Act overhaul, not just a 1-year exemption
HPR: … "The problem that we have with the call for a one-year Jones Act waiver to bring domestic crude oil to the islands is that it's completely misleading," Hansen told The Conversation. "And we're wasting efforts that could be used for real Jones Act reform. Our basic position is — and one that we've had a proposal in place since 2010 — is that the non-contiguous jurisdictions of the United States that are encompassed by the Jones Act — namely Alaska, Hawaiʻi, and Puerto Rico — should be allowed to have to use foreign-built vessels registered under the U.S. flag and employing U.S. crews." ….
read … Shipping organization calls for Jones Act overhaul, not just a 1-year exemption
Food Processing is Key to Developing Hawaii Agriculture
CB: … That means dealing with bottlenecks in processing and other intermediary obstacles like the lack of slaughterhouses. That’s where food hubs can help, agricultural insiders say….
For Hawaii ‘Ulu Co-op, the value adding is done in Kona, in an aggregation site where its starchy crops are turned into flour or ready-to-cook packs, among other things, which in turn deals with perishability issues in shipping….
SA Tech View: Hawaii’s food insecurity needs to be confronted
read … Small Farmers Are Finding Innovative Ways To Get Their Food To Market
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