Environment

...Coinciding with Earth Day....

...This is the City and County of Honolulu’s inaugural annual sustainability report....

...Hawaii Boasts Some of the Best Air Quality in the Nation According to the ‘State of the Air’ 2019 Report....

...Certifying the project under Verra’s VCS, which includes the verification and validation of the project by independent auditors, enables DOFAW to generate certified carbon credits that it, in turn, can sell to interested buyers, brokers, traders, or retailers....

...the memo contradicts arguments EPA and the Department of Justice made on the same case three years ago....

...With legal representation from Neil Abercrombie’s former Attorney General David Louie, former penny stock tout Jeffrey Dunster tried to use a bag full of receipts to claim ownership of a house known as ‘13’.  It didn't work....

...The AOC requires Big Island Dairy owners to terminate their dairy operations, remove all their cows from confinement on the site, clean and remove the existing wastewater system, and pay $79,000 by June of 2019....

...The new term for the Commissioner will begin July 1, 2019 and run for four (4) years, expiring on June 30, 2023....

...Reminiscent of rail, projected Ala Wai costs have already leapt from $200M to $470M.... 

...The American Samoan Government and its people were barely consulted before these monuments were established or expanded. As a result, our local fishermen were barred from accessing the waters that Samoans have been visiting for over a millennium....

...Introduction of the aquarium fishery closure bill is the tourist groups’ attempt to preempt the HEPA environmental review completion....

...Just kidding! It turns out Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) is a fan of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez....

...During FY 2018, the total deposit amounts reimbursed to Reynolds Recycling was approximately $7.96 million....

...when asked about whether she supports the Green New Deal, Hirono responded “Well, I don’t know how people are going to get to Hawaii, but I’m in favor of the plan."....

...Just last month, George, the last known member of this snails species, died without a mate after 14 years in captivity....

...Sunscreen has been in the news a lot lately. Both Hawaii and Key West, Florida, are trying to ban sunscreens containing certain ingredients....

...By exporting airliner exhaust, the nearly 50% growth in Hawaii tourism numbers since 2008 is simply evaporated from this report.....

...Maui’s attorneys argue the Ninth Circuit’s “radical expansion of point source permitting” goes beyond the CWA’s scope....

... the DOFAW hearing will be held at 7:00 pm on February 15, 2019 at Kula Elementary School, 5000 Kula Highway in Kula ....

“That would be pretty hard for Hawaii” -- Sen Mazie Hirono

... the ancient Hawaiians were practical people that utilized their natural resources ....

...the few studies that have addressed the environmental impacts of sunscreens experimentally “are not representative of real world conditions”....

...instead of making resources scarcer, population growth has gone hand in hand with greater resource abundance....

"...we were unable to find a clear regulatory path forward for this innovative and sustainable model of dairy farming...."

...The Hawaiian Humane Society’s new community cat program coordinator will work with colony caregivers and volunteers to trap, neuter and then return sterilized cats to the colonies they came from....

...In addition to the 66 unprovoked attacks worldwide, there were also 34 provoked attacks. Those include instances where divers are bitten after harassing or trying to touch sharks, as well as attacks on spearfishers or people trying to feed sharks....

...the average per-Taxpayer Burden for these 15 states runs almost $24,000—more than four times the average for the other 35 states....

...a recent report on Oahu suggests that a Styrofoam ban is unlikely to reduce litter and increase recycling....

...The company has been ordered to pay a penalty of $230,000 and construct a new wastewater treatment plant....

...the boom, tagged “Wilson” and “System 001” by OC, is being towed very slowly--between one and three knots--and is not expected to arrive in Hawaii until mid-January....

"...HECO has not been coordinating with the Service and DOFAW to verify that a wind energy producer has completed the necessary compliance procedures...."

...Carroll Cox has spent decades investigating environmental violations by individuals, companies, and the government....

...“Really obvious question: How long until wave action tears up these booms?”--Hawai'i Free Press, May 12, 2017.... 

...In 2005, the Legislature provided the land conservation program with a dedicated funding source – ten percent of conveyance tax collected...here's what happened next....

...the petition for a writ of certiorari in No. 18-260 should be granted, limited to the first question presented ... whether a “discharge of a pollutant” occurs when a pollutant is released from a point source, travels through groundwater, and ultimately migrates to navigable waters....

...H-Power allows recycling without requiring participation in the rituals of the eco-religion....

...Submit an online application to the Office of the Governor, Boards and Commissions, and learn more about how you can make an impact serving on the Commission....

...lots of whining from the usual suspects....

...Gov. David Ige approved the new regulation Dec 21, 2018....

... The proposed rules now go before the Small Business Regulatory Review Board, which issues a recommendation to the Governor ....

...If enacted, the carbon tax would be the fifth special tax imposed on fuel....

...Between 3,500 and 32,500 gallons of treated industrial wastewater composed of freshwater, acidic metal cleaning solution and residue from the descaling of the boiler was discharged....

...they're upset because nobody has been accused of violating the law....

...Search as you might, there's nothing there that helps or hurts in the water law department....

...at the 24th Conference of the Parties (COP24) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Katowice, Poland....

...“For the first time, we are clearly defining the difference between federally protected waterways and state protected waterways”....

...The requested total bat take is 140 bats (119 in addition to the 21 authorized).... 

...In its petition for certiorari, Maui calls the 9th Circuit Court ruling a “radical expansion of point source permitting,” poised to carry massive liability for Maui and its taxpayers....

...potential civil penalties of up to $25,000 per day per violation and potential criminal prosecution....

...the County intends to develop a new groundwater source within five years, or sooner, which will eventually provide for the full instream flow standard....