This video, and article, from Big Island Video News gives a good look at what went on Friday at the testimony before the Hawaii Environmental Council.
VIDEO: Harry Kim speaks out before geothermal exemption vote
HONOLULU, Hawaii: Former Hawaii Island mayor and civil defense director Harry Kim delivered surprise testimony before the Hawaii Environmental Council on Friday, and it appears to have made a difference in the council’s decision on important exemptions for geothermal energy exploration.
The council voted on two important measures… both would lift the requirements for an environmental assessment or an impact statement when exploring for new geothermal sources in Hawaii. The theory is that the exemptions would speed up the development process and encourage investment by sidestepping the expensive environmental review process.
On one side, folks like Richard Ha who are advocates for the geothermal industry, and who say that time is running out on affordable power here in the islands. Officials from the Department of Land and Natural Resources are also in support of the exemptions.
But on the other side of the issue: residents of Puna, who live in the backyard of the 30 megawatt Puna Geothermal Venture, and say they suffer from noise and health problems, and are in fear of what appears to be a massive fast tracking to grow the industry, presumably on Puna’s volcanic rift zone.
Standing with those folks on Friday… Harry Kim, whose statements resonated with the Environmental Council….
The biggest problem is PDF (Pele Defense Fund) is spending a lot of time spreading all kinds of anti-geothermal misinformation all around Pahoa and Puna. They are saying all kinds of things were never done, when they were. PGV has an EIS from 1987, the department of health forwarded the 1991 and 1993 steam release events to the DHHS and they found subsequent emissions to be difficult to separate from the background volcanic activity. They are saying HS2 is only formed artificially when it is a natural volcanic byproduct of SO2 bubbling up through underground water. Even the conglomeration of words forming Pele Defense Fund make no rational sense. Their basis is supposedly religious discrimination in geothermal well drilling because that is not allowing their religion. The real mystery here is why the county and council are giving this group so much credibility when the existing documentation and factual history show their protest to be made up of almost total fabrication?
Of all the energy sources viable now, geothermal is the most benign compared to nuclear, oil, coal, and even wind and solar when the process to fabricate and maintain those systems are compared.
The news today the EPA is coming to inspect the oil burning plants next month should be a punctuation of how ridiculous it is to maintain the status quo and just keep burning oil. Social systems need affordable, reliable and sustainable electricity, places like schools, hospitals, government buildings, farms, stores, and places of business. This existing kw-hr rate is a burden on the average island customer but even more restrictive for business, which keep people employed locally. The anti-geothermal protesters have been pretty effective for holding back geothermal for 20 years but that opposition seems to be fading away with the new plant going on the west side.