‘Green energy transition’ is a myth
UH Faculty Approve Contract
Honolulu Airport 'Achieves Carbon Accreditation'
Condo insurance premiums up 1000%
SA: … “Only three insurers are offering master policies, which cover condominium common areas, to condominium associations in the state, and coverage is often limited to only 20 to 30 percent of a building’s hurricane exposure,” Resolution 242 states.
As a result, condo owners and their associations in particular have been forced to use “surplus lines insurers to cover the remaining portion of a building’s hurricane exposure, and these surplus lines have higher rates that result in more costly master policy premiums and higher deductibles,” the resolution states.
“These increased premiums for condominium association insurance, which in some cases are up to 1,000 percent higher, are passed on to the condominium owners, resulting in drastic increases in maintenance fees … costing condominium owners hundreds of additional dollars each month,” the legislation states.
The resolution notes that during the previous legislative session, state lawmakers introduced measures to address or stabilize rising property insurance premiums — notably House Bill 2686 and Senate Bill 3234.
“The Legislature ultimately failed to pass or enact these measures,” the resolution states….
Still, Resolution 242 notes actions taken by Hawaii’s top elected official.
On June 28 Gov. Josh Green established the Executive and Legislative Condo and Property Insurance Task Force to evaluate and make recommendations “on the extreme challenges and complex issues” surrounding property insurance.
By Aug. 7 the governor, based on task force recommendations, signed an emergency proclamation aimed at stabilizing Hawaii’s volatile condominium insurance market.
That action would allow loans to be made to the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund and the Hawaii Property Insurance Association to facilitate the issuance of hurricane and property insurance policies to condominium associations.
It would also allow HHRF to issue hurricane insurance policies for large condominium buildings and set its own coverage limits, according to the resolution….
read … Council urges state action on rising property insurance premiums
Stop Pretending Oil is Going to Disappear
SA: … It is that planners — including Hawaii — need to walk back the idea that fossil fuels are going to eventually disappear, and start being realistic ….
Gasoline is just the tip of the iceberg. We’ve spent trillions of dollars over 40 years promoting all sorts of renewable concepts, resulting in nothing new that is broadly usable. Here we are today with solar and wind, the most basic, partially scalable, sources anyone can think of. Everything else is incredibly complex, disruptive, energy negative or uneconomic at large scale. During all that time, we have spent nothing trying to figure out how to clean up and minimize our inevitable mix of petroleum and renewables. It’s about time to face these “realities,” which are not “myths.”….
read … Column: Urging reality in Hawaii’s mix of renewables and oil | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Kauai Island of Retaliation: Fired Hawaii Deputy Prosecutor Advances First Amendment Lawsuit
BL: … Kauai County must face a former deputy prosecutor’s claim that his termination after reporting to state authorities that a judicial nominee was under investigation for witness tampering violated his free-speech rights.
Robert Christensen adequately pleaded his First Amendment retaliation claim against the county because his speech addressed a matter of public concern, he spoke as a private citizen rather than as a government employee, and his speech was a motivating or substantial factor in his termination, the US District Court for the District of Hawaii said.
According to the suit, the judicial nominee represented the suspect in an assault ...
2022: After Thug allegedly intimidates Witness into Retraction, Senate Votes to Make his Lawyer a Judge
2023: Lawsuit: Former Kaua‘i prosecutor fired for opposing judicial nominee
read … Fired Hawaii Deputy Prosecutor Advances First Amendment Lawsuit
Rare court filing puts trial on hold for 4 HPD officers accused in near-fatal crash
HNN: … The high-profile criminal case against four Honolulu police officers has been shelved until a higher court can rule on the defense team’s interlocutory appeal.
The appeal is rare but must be decided on prior to trial because the decision could throw out the most serious charge against Officer Joshua Nahulu, upending the case altogether.
Nahulu is charged with causing a collision involving serious bodily injury and failing to render aid.
The argument could affect a lot of driver-related criminal cases, according to legal expert Alexander Silvert who is a retired federal public defender….
read ... Rare court filing puts trial on hold for 4 HPD officers accused in near-fatal crash
Case against community members at nurses lockout dismissed
KHON: … Ten community members, including House Representative-elect Kim Coco Iwamoto and Democratic candidate for State House District 29, Ikaika Hussey, had cases dismissed related to their supporting locked-out HNA nurses in September….
read … Case against community members at nurses lockout dismissed
HECO narrowly avoided cutting power in West Maui last week. What happened?
HPR: … West Maui customers were told last Wednesday that Hawaiian Electric might have had to cut power as a fire prevention measure under the new protocols of the utility's Public Safety Power Shutoff program, which launched in July.
Here’s how it works: HECO looks at weather data on wind gusts and humidity. When wind speeds are higher than 45 mph and humidity is lower than 45%, the utility considers de-energizing its power lines….
read … HECO narrowly avoided cutting power in West Maui last week. What happened?
As Part of Plan to Keep Waimanalo Gulch Open, Honolulu Pretends to Revive The Idea Of Shipping Trash Off Island
CB: … In 2010, Honolulu started a three-year contract with Hawaiian Waste Systems to transport trash to Washington state as the city expanded capacity at its waste-to-energy plant H-Power.
But that plan failed after an effort to get approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture was derailed after the Yakama Nation and others sued the USDA, saying it had failed to consider environmental impacts and a tribal agreement.
In the meantime, 20,000 tons of garbage sat at Campbell Industrial Park in Kapolei with no place to go. The Hawaii Department of Health fined Hawaiian Waste $40,400 for improper storage of waste, and the city reached an agreement with the company to cancel its contract and instead send the waste to H-Power for incineration….
read … Honolulu Revives The Idea Of Shipping Trash Off Island - Honolulu Civil Beat
Maui County trying to collect millions in overdue visitor lodging taxes
MN: … Hundreds of property owners who have failed to pay Maui County the 3% transient accommodations tax for visitor lodgings have been receiving letters saying they need to pay up, and fast.
In November 2021, Maui County started charging the tax after the state took away the counties’ share of the statewide pot. Each county was allowed to impose its own tax on top of the state’s rate of 10.25%.
But since then, the county has struggled to collect millions in those taxes, according to a recent audit. Now, the county is trying to recoup those overdue payments. The 1,223 letters sent by the county in late September and early October said that property owners need to pay the overdue taxes within 15 days or request an exemption for reservations that were made before the tax took effect.
If the taxes aren’t paid, the county may ask the court for an injunction that would keep owners from operating a vacation rental. …
read … Maui County trying to collect millions in overdue visitor lodging taxes : Maui Now
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