KO‘OLAU FOREST RESERVE WATER LICENSE AGENDA DEFERRED
News Release from BLNR, Sept 26, 2024
(HONOLULU) – In deference to a request from Maui Mayor Richard T. Bissen Jr., Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) Chair Dawn Chang has withdrawn item D-12 from the BLNR agenda for Friday, Sept. 27.
D-12 is related to the contested case for the issuance of a water license covering the diversion of public surface water from the Ko‘olau Forest Reserve on Maui.
(REALITY: D-12 would have provided 85M gpd water for Alexander & Baldwin, Mahi Pono and East Maui Irrigation. Now it will be up to the activist infested Maui water authority.)
Chair Chang supports the mayor’s request, stating, “Withdrawing item D-12 allows us to not only respect the newly established local water authority on Maui, but also to support Mayor Bissen’s request to explore long-term partnership opportunities to address public and private interests that depend on this important water resource.
“I attended the East Maui Regional Community Board meeting on Wednesday and heard heartfelt comments from the board and community members who are seeking a path that is mutually beneficial; not only to current water users but to ensure water for future generations,” Chang said.
CB: Maui Mayor Convinces State To Back Off Long-Term Water Plan - Honolulu Civil Beat
PDF: bissen-letter-to-chang.pdf (documentcloud.org)
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Maui Council Budget and finance committee discusses tax exemption extension bill, water authority
MN Sept 27, 2024: … During the second part of the two-and-a-half hour long meeting, council discussed two bills relating to a proposal for a $250,000 feasibility study and management or business plan for the East Maui Water Authority.
Bills 122 and 134 aimed to amend the fiscal year budget to fund the study.
Former Maui County Water Supply Director Dave Taylor provided testimony regarding the legislation.
“I think you should really think carefully about how you want to fund this,” he said. “I don’t think this is supposed to be funded by Department of Water Supply operating funds.”
He said he believes it should be funded by the general funds.
Officials report the issue is related to the possible purchase of the East Maui Irrigation System.
The committee recommended Bill 122 and Bill 134 be filed and that a new bill may later be submitted to address the topic.
Maui County Council will meet on Friday, Sept. 27 at 9 a.m….
read … Budget and finance committee discusses tax exemption extension bill, water authority
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Maui Water Wars: Eco-Lawyers aim to eliminate all agriculture this week
CB Sept 24, 2024: … The battle over Maui’s water supply is taking center stage this week as two different government regulators consider a long-term lease for a significant amount of the island’s water.
The East Maui Water Authority and the state Board of Land and Natural Resources are expected to take up a proposed 30-year water license for up to 85 million gallons per day from the Koolau Forest Reserve, located in East Maui.
The voter-created water authority will discuss the matter on Wednesday while BLNR is scheduled to take it up as an agenda item on Friday.
Critics of the proposed deal are unhappy that the long-term lease seems to be intended for Alexander & Baldwin, Mahi Pono and East Maui Irrigation, all major private companies. Mahi Pono is owned by a Canadian pension fund. EMI is 50% owned by Alexander & Baldwin and 50% by Mahi Pono.
Giving these companies so much water undercuts the mission of the East Maui Water Authority, in the view of people like David Kimo Frankel, a land-use attorney who frequently represents clients in environmental and Hawaiian circles….
read … Maui's Contentious Water Saga Is Bubbling Up This Week - Honolulu Civil Beat
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Maui County Council asks Legislature to Dump Water in Ocean in Effort to Keep Housing Scarce and Expensive
MN Sep 17 2024: … A proposed resolution that would add language to the 2025 Hawai’i State Association of Counties Legislative Package in defining the public trust purposes of the Commission on Water Resource Management moved forward during a Maui County Council meeting on Friday, Sept. 13.
Resolution 24-130, titled “Approving for inclusion in the 2025 Maui County Council Legislative Package a State Bill relating to the commission on water resource management,” lays out a recommendation and a path to legislatures that aims to require the commission, in acting upon water use permit applications, to prioritize applications for public trust purposes.
(TRANSLATION: Dump water in ocean via the ‘Venice of the Pacific’ water feature in the new tourist-friendly Lahaina.)
The resolution carried seven suggested changes to state water legislation including, defining the public trust purposes of the Commission on Water Resource Management (“Commission”) and requiring the commission, in acting upon water use permit applications, to prioritize applications for public trust purposes. The second change would be to allow the Commission to retain independent legal counsel. The third would be to repeal the position of deputy to the chairperson of the commission and establish the position of Executive Director of the commission. The fourth would be to amend the composition of the commission and administratively attach it to the Department of Land and Natural Resources. The fifth authorizes entities to challenge an emergency order of the commission under certain conditions. The sixth establishes fines for certain water use offenses. The seventh amends the commission’s authority to declare water emergencies and issue orders to address them and declare water shortages and related notice requirements
(Translation: Make the Water Commission powerful enough to block more housing so you people will have to move to Las Vegas.)
Two county council members voted against the resolution, with five voting in favor of passage….
read … Maui County Council passes resolution relating to water rights legislation suggestions