December 2022 Email Update

The Civil Beat reported the lack of voter enthusiasm and reduced in-person voting options resulted in a 10% drop in statewide voter participation.  Oahu had only two places to vote in person on election day, Kapolei and Honolulu Hale. The wait times at Honolulu Hale reached over an hour as the 7:00 pm deadline to vote approached.  Many voters failed to receive their ballots in the mail and others still preferred to vote “old school.”  10,000 people voted in person versus the 6,600 that cast ballots at the polls two years ago.  As expected, Dr. Josh Green won the gubernatorial race receiving 65% of the votes.  Republicans did flip two races where the incumbents were charged with drunk driving and had their charges dropped on technicalities.  The voters in those two districts decided to hold their representatives accountable for their behavior.

In typical bureaucratic behavior, the U.S. Navy is discussing with federal officials on how much they will participate in a roundtable discussion convened by the state and federal environmental regulators.  According to the regional commander, “defense officials in Washington, D.C., are working out details about what level of participation there will be from the Navy.”  Work on the plan to chart fuel remediation contamination has been stalled for the past couple of months.

The Honolulu Authority of Rapid Transportation does not have a solution for the 21 “Hammerhead” cracks along the rail route.  13 of the cracks can be filled with epoxy to keep out moisture and eight require more extensive repairs.  The limited rail service will be pushed out until the repairs have been approved and executed.

Pacific Business News’ Kam Napier highlighted the latest rule allowing Hawaiian Electric Company to charge the public higher rates during peak electricity usage from 5:00 to 9:00 pm.  He argues that the higher rates punish those working-class families who can’t shift their electricity usage to earlier in the day because they are at work.  The shift in peak usage to later in the day is a result of the state Public Utilities Commission (PUC) focus on adding solar energy to the islands renewable energy capacity.

The City and County of Honolulu is running out of time to name its new landfill location as the Board of Water Supply (BWS) rejects the six sites identified by the city.  All six sites are located above Oahu’s aquifer system that has become a source of increased sensitivity due to the U.S. Navy’s jet fuel contamination of the Red Hill Shaft.  The city does have the option of appealing and contends that the new landfills double liner design will protect the aquifer below from chemical contamination.

An Alaska Mokulele partnership has added a third interisland solution for mainland visitors joining Hawaiian and Southwest Airlines.  The new agreement starts in 2023 and is about booking convenience for Alaska Airline customers.  The new partnership will offer 10 interisland flights daily to Kapalua, Hana, Hilo, Waimea, and Kohala.  There are existing Mokulele flights to Molokai and Lanai.

Hawaii’s healthcare worker shortage continues to grow.  The chronic shortage started long before the COVID-19 pandemic and has grown to 3,873 job openings for nurses and nurse aids.  There are hundreds more job openings for medical assistants, personal care assistants, and phlebotomists (people who collect blood samples).

Moana Loa erupted for the first time since 1984 at about 11:30 on 11/27/2022 providing spectacular views of lava fountaining in a growing summit lake.  The vents are on a level part of the mountain and the lava is headed towards Hilo.  Scientists describe the path as the best possible route placing Hilo far from danger.  If it continues, the lava could take a week before hitting the outskirts of Hilo.  The eruption was accompanied by earthquakes, the largest measuring 4.2 on the Richter Scale.  Here is a link to drone footage over the flow.

The eruption has invited mischief.  An unknown individual planted an explosive device near the old Saddle Road and police closed off viewing of the eruption for five hours while neutralizing the device and concluding their investigation.  The lava continues to creep toward the Saddle Road during the seventh day of the eruption.

1,100 gallons of fire suppressant foam spilled at the Navy’s Red Hill fuel facility on 11/29/2022.  The spill is yet another contamination related event as the Navy struggles to drain the fuel tanks without causing more problems.

The University of Hawaii Wahine Volleyball (UH) team lost to the Louisiana State University Tigers (KSU) in the first round of the NCAA tournament.  UH entered the tournament seeded 8^th and lost three sets to one to LSU despite LSU’s 16-win, 14-loss record.  The loss follows a pattern of UH failing to beat the top Division One teams after dominating the Big West Conference.

Environmental groups and the state are working towards reclaiming a 132,000 acre of state-owned land leased to the U.S. Army serving as a live artillery training ground.  The land sits between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea and connects two federally owned training sites.  The lease expires in 2029 and the U.S. Army is trying to renew it.  The environmental impact statement (EIS) has gaps concerning pollution concerns and the type of live-fire activities taking place in the future.  The area known as Pohakuloa, supported several native plants and biologists have collected seeds in hopes of reintroducing them to the area.  The greatest threats to native species in the area come from invasive plants and animals like wild goats and sheep that have been allowed to run rampant.  The state hopes to reverse these negative trends if it ends the lease with the U.S. Army.

A preservation group, Friends of the Haiku Stairs, is trying to block the removal of the stairs, known as the Stairway to Heaven, and build support to reopen the popular hike.  The group would like to resurrect the city’s plan to provide legal access to the stairs and eventually provide funds to maintain the stairs.  The removal was scheduled to be completed by the end of this year and cost $1.3 million to remove by helicopter.  The project is expected to begin in 2023.  Proponents of the stairs argue that it will cost much more to remove, the removal will cause environmental damage, and hikers will continue to access the summit by the more dangerous remaining path or summit hike from Moanalua.

The Nature Conservancy is offering a $2 million policy that will cover reef repairs due to Hurricanes or powerful Tropical Storms.  The Nature Conservancy’s plan follows the world’s first reef insurance for the Mexican coastal state of Quintana Roo.  The policy will be triggered by wind speeds of 57 mph within the proximity of Hawaii’s reefs.

Hawaii spinner dolphins are at risk of disease by the same bacteria threatening the Hawaii monk seal, Toxoplasmosis.  Feral cats host the bacteria, and the eggs are spread by the cat’s feces.  The bacteria can survive up to two years in the environment and are carried to the ocean by rainwater.  Two dolphins have been killed by Toxoplasmosis over the past decade and the disease has been found in 60 dolphins over the past thirty years.

Drone studies conducted by researchers have discovered that sand is moving from one end of Waikiki beach to another versus moving out to sea as initially suspected.  The information will be used for further beach management decisions.

Chainsaw drone could be the title of another B-rate horror flick, is a tool researchers are using to gain a closeup view of rapid Ohia death.  The drone grasps a branch of a tree and uses a circular saw to remove a branch for retrieval.  The scientists test the branch for fungal infection and map trees spreading the infection.  Rapid Ohia death is caused by two fungal infections of which there is no known cure.

The Maui Ocean Center proposed a $12 million building to house a sea turtle hospital, coral nursery, research laboratory, and classrooms on the aquarium’s existing property.  The Maui City Council expressed support for the plan and referred a zoning change proposal to the Maui Council Planning Commission.  The Maui Ocean Marine Institute, the organization that would move into the building, has been working out of shipping containers for the past six years.

A battle pitting the little guy against the big guy comes in the form of a pig farmer who has been in business for twenty-two years and the new buyer of the property who shut off the water line to the piggery causing over 100 pigs to die.  The farmer is asking the state to help save the remaining pigs after the Hawaii Supreme Court rejected his petition.  The new buyer claims the lease is invalid because it represents a sublease of the land despite the lease being between the previous owner and the farmer.  State law stipulates that lease contracts are superior to the sale of property and the lease should remain in effect.  The Hawaii Supreme Court denied the request stating that the farmer had other means to support his claim.  

We often talk to owners about moving back into their rental property to claim the home exemption.  The rules have changed, and this video gives a bit more information regarding the benefit.