Richard Ha writes:
This is testimony that the Big Island Community Coalition (BICC) steering committee sent to the Hawaii PUC earlier this month. It is in support of the implementation of 50MW of geothermal energy for Hawai‘i island.
The BICC steering committee is made up of the following, all acting on their own behalf: David DeLuz, Jr., Rockne Freitas, Michelle Galimba, Richard Ha, Wallace Ishibashi, Kuulei Kealoha Cooper, Kai’u Kimura, D. Noelani Kalipi, Robert Lindsey, HM Monty Richards, Marcia Sakai, Kumu Lehua Veincent, and William Walter.
Our testimony:
To: Chair Hermina Morita
Commissioner Michael Champley
Commissioner Lorraine Akiba
Hawaii Public Utilities Commission
Email: Hawaii.puc@hawaii.gov
Re: Comments to PUC Docket: 2014-0183 (HECO/HELCO/MECO – PSIP: HELCO Power Supply Improvement Plan and PUC Docket: 2012-0092 (Geothermal 50 MW RFP for Hawaii Island)
Aloha PUC Commissioners,
The Big Island Community Coalition supports implementing 50MW of geothermal as soon as practicable. The high oil price case projected by the EIA 2014, predicts $150 per barrel oil by 2020. There is a direct correlation between oil usage and world GDP. A high oil price of $150 per barrel will adversely impact our tourism industry causing a severe recession.
Geothermal is one of the few ways available to mitigate high oil price. And, we need to move sooner rather than later.
Oil prices quadrupled in the last ten years and the folks who could pass on the costs did pass on the costs. Those who could not were the working homeless, kupuna on fixed income, single moms as well as others such as farmers who are price takers and not price makers.
The Big Island has the lowest median income of the counties. Our electricity rates have been 25% higher than Oahu’s for as long as we can remember. That high electricity rate acts like a giant regressive tax. We are able to turn that around by enabling more geothermal.
The 23% curtailed electricity from geothermal can support making hydrogen at an affordable cost. This will help solve the green ground transportation problem. And, curtailed electricity can be the basis for making nitrogen fertilizer, without which we cannot feed all the people.
Mahalo, Commissioners.
Richard Ha
President, Big Island Community Coalition
Aloha Richard, you need to address the situation with the East Rift Zone if you are going to be a proponent for Hawaii island geothermal energy. Essentially, while it looked like a good location for a geothermal plant (twice, remember the original location), it is completely out of the picture as far as a stable power source area. Have you been talking to Dr. Thomas and aware of his findings across Saddle? The East Rift Zone was being focused on due to the “hot spot” located directly underneath and more plentiful brine aquifers underground. Enhanced geothermal doesn’t have this confined area limitation.
Also, maybe you might consider a Technology and Hawaiian Culture Symposium, inviting members of the technical and native community together to put all the issues on the table. The main thing the technical community needs to do is make real outreach, not just talk, and show there is a bridge between technology and the Hawaiian religion, rather than a conflict. You know the key areas: TMT, geothermal, military. All are going to be land issues for the next several years. You are always talking about the rubbah slippah folk but at almost every technology event, there are no locals. The technology – subsistance living divide is obvious. The locals are disconnected because they feel they have no say in the decisions, the actual jobs and work go to companies and crews that are flown in, the profits go to the mainland while the cost of living just keeps going up for the locals. Total disconnect.