Category Archives: Community

Community, Food Safety Certification, Lowering Electric Rates, Our Story, Water

Master Gardeners Visit Hamakua Springs

Richard Ha writes:

The master gardeners came to visit Hamakua Springs yesterday. I told them their entry fee was that they had to listen to my pitch about the Big Island Community Coalition, through which we advocate for lowest electricity rates in the state.

We all laughed, and then I handed them flyers to post everywhere they can.

The Master Gardeners, solely as volunteers, help staff the University Extension Service. Somone pointed out that when they are not there, the Extension Service office is empty.

It was great to talk with people who grow things and have hands-on experience with insect and disease issues. They peered under leaves and asked lots of questions. Many of them grow tomatoes, so we had a lot in common. We feel a special closeness to them.

Mastergardener

Master Gardeners decided to do their vegetable shopping while on their tour.

My daughter Tracy
explained our Food Safety program, which involves nearly 60 line items for the field operation and 60 more for the packing operation. Everything is documented.

I pointed out that
smaller growers have a very difficult time both farming and maintaining the
detailed paperwork necessary to become Food Safety-certified. The Food Safety program evolved as large retailers pushed the liability down the chain. It is neither good nor bad – It just is.

Someone asked how long we have been at Pepe‘ekeo and why we chose this location, and I explained that we started looking at different possible locations 20 years ago. Plantations were closing down, the market was on O‘ahu – there were many factors in play.

What it came down to were the physical resources. At Pepe‘ekeo, which is located close to a deep water port, there is deep soil, and most of all, there is an abundance of water. Our average annual rainfall here is close to 140 inches per year. More than 1/4 of the volume of water that goes to the Ewa plains on O‘ahu flows downhill through our farm alone. And there is a 150-foot elevation difference in the water flow.

That water was free, and would be free for as long as we could imagine. We made our decision based on free water.

Community, Lowering Electric Rates

My Audio at Kona Blog Radio

Richard Ha writes:

My friend Dave Ross invited me to be a guest speaker on Kona Blog Radio. The program was recorded at Boston Basil’s in Kailua-Kona on Tuesday, and you can listen to it here:

Listen to internet radio with KBP on Blog Talk Radio

I talked about the Big Island Community Coalition (BICC), the organization recently formed to make the island’s electricity rates the lowest in the state.

The next step: Asking people to attend upcoming PUC hearings.

The PUC is holding these hearings to learn what people think about HELCO’s proposed 4.2 percent rate hike, as well as the proposed Aina Koa Pono biofuels project at Ka‘u. BICC is against both proposals because they would raise our electricity rates, not lower them.

The first PUC hearing is on Monday, October 29, 2012, 6 p.m. at the Hilo High School cafeteria. The next is on Tuesday, October 30 at 6 p.m. at Kealakehe High School.

We need your input so we can work on getting our electricity rates down, instead of just watching them go up.

Community

Look! It’s The Great Dog You’ve Been Waiting For!

by Leslie Lang

For a change of pace here, Richard says why don’t I tell you all about Cleo.

Cleo needs a good home. She is about 3 years old, and truly one
of the sweetest dogs we’ve ever had (but she needs to go to a home that doesn’t have chickens or cats).

Cleo photoVery good-natured, always happy, good with kids, etc. (Here’s how happy she always is: Her middle name is “Wigglebottom.” But you could change that if you want.) Our friends had her since she was a puppy, and then we took her when they moved
away, so she has had a known, good upbringing. When they had her, she was an inside/outside dog and she is good in the house. With us she’s been an outside dog. She’s spayed, and up to date with shots. She’s a great dog and I’m sad we need to find her another home, but we do.

Cleo’s perfect home:

  • Doesn’t have chickens or cats.
  • Is a ranch, farm, or home with a fenced yard where she can run
    around. (No life on a chain!)
  • Bonus points if there’s another dog or two for her to play
    with. She would love that.

Please comment here or email leslie@leslielang.com if you would like to meet Cleo. She lives near Hilo and would travel to meet someone who is interested. She is very affectionate, smart and friendly and would make some family a wonderful friend.

Big Island, Community, Lowering Electric Rates

PUC: Here’s When You Can Show Up & Make a Difference

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Richard Ha writes:

If we show up in huge numbers at PUC hearings, we can make a difference.

The PUC will hear HELCO’s proposal for a 4.2 percent rate hike, as well as about Aina Koa Pono’s proposed biofuel project, on:

  • Monday, October 29, 2012 at 6 p.m. at the Hilo High School cafeteria, and
  • Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 6 p.m. at the Kealakehe High School cafeteria.

The Big Island Community Coalition opposes both proposals because they would raise, rather than lower, our electricity rates.

The PUC members are caring human beings. But they have to know what the people want. Only two people, I think, showed up at the last PUC hearing in Hilo. We need hundreds!

The Big Island is in trouble. We have one of the highest electricity rates in Hawai‘i – almost 25 percent higher than O‘ahu’s.

High electricity rates are like a giant regressive tax, only worse. As people leave the electric grid to escape its high cost, those who cannot afford to do so pay even more.

The Big Island has a robust supply of alternatives to oil. We need to mobilize and make meaningful change.

The world has been using twice as much oil as it’s been finding for 20 to 30 years now, and this trend continues.

Growing gap

In the last 10 years, the price of oil has quadrupled. Something significant has changed: This has never before happened in the 150 years comprising our “Age of Oil.”

Oil price quadrupled

In China, they use two barrels of oil/person/year, and even when oil costs $100/barrel, their economy continues to grow. Here in the U.S., we use 23 barrels of oil/person/year, and at $100 oil, our economy is sputtering. It is reasonable to assume that the price of oil will continue to rise as it continues to be influenced by China’s demand.

Who here is most vulnerable to rising electricity costs?

  • Senior citizens on fixed income, for one, who sometimes have to make choices between food, medicine and electricity. We cannot leave our kupuna – our moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas – out there to fend for themselves. These are the ones who sacrificed so we could have a better life.
  • Single moms are also very vulnerable. I talked to a person who has several kids she hopes to send to college. She told me the threat of rising electricity prices weighs on her every day.

According to this week’s Hawaii Tribune-Herald, 3,000 of the 10,000 folks in Hawai‘i who receive federal aid to help pay their electric bill are on the Big Island. We have less than 15 percent of the state’s population, yet more than 30 percent of Hawai‘i’s residents who receive federal assistance to pay their electricity bill are on the Big island.

Join the Big Island Community Coalition to receive an occasional email telling you how you can help bring down the cost of Big Island electricity.

Community, Lowering Electric Rates

‘Your Words Become Your Actions’

Richard Ha writes:

Our Big Island Community Coalition — whose goal is “to make Big Island electricity rates the lowest in the state by emphasizing the use of local resources” — seems to be really making people think in a new way. It’s the right goal at the right time.

Someone who has been reading about our efforts said they make him think of these words of Gandhi’s, which are pretty profound. If these words were a roadmap, we’d be at the “thoughts/words” intersection, and coming up on “actions.”

Your beliefs become your thoughts,

Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.

                  – Mahatma Gandhi

This is a goal we are setting, and which we plan to meet, solely because it’s the right thing to do. The Big Island Community Coalition doesn’t have a budget, and in fact, we don’t need a budget. This is not about slick P.R. This isn’t P.R. at all. Not having a budget means we are just getting out there and talking to real people.

Join us at www.bigislandcommunitycoalition.com if you’d like to be on our mailing list.
Community, Lowering Electric Rates

There’s Something In The Air

Richard Ha writes:

There’s something really interesting, and different, about what we’re doing now – about this Big Island Community Coalition campaign to make the Big Island’s electric rates the lowest in the state.

When I ask people to write a letter in support, they are saying, “I’m going to send this around to my email list.” In the past when I’ve been involved in campaigns to get something done, people would write an individual letter. Now they are spreading the word far and wide and getting their own contacts involved. They are volunteering to share it with their people.

This is a big difference compared to anything else I’ve been involved with.

The idea of lowering our electric rates, rather than just letting them rise uncontrollably, really resonates with people across all walks of life. Everyone feels we need to do something. I haven’t heard anyone say, “No, we want our electric rates to be higher!”

Articles, Big Island, Community, Lowering Electric Rates, Renewable Energy Sources

‘HELCO & Your Bill: What’s Wrong With This Picture?’

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Richard Ha writes:

This Op-Ed piece just ran at Civil Beat, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald and West Hawaii Today.

HELCO & YOUR BILL: WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?

By Noelani Kalipi 

Hawaii Electric Light Co. is applying to raise Big Island electricity rates by 4.2 percent — shortly after its parent company announced impressive profits that were 70 percent higher than last year.

What’s wrong with this picture?

We — John E.K. Dill, Rockne Freitas, Richard Ha, Wallace Ishibashi, Ku‘ulei Kealoha Cooper, Noelani Kalipi, Ka‘iu Kimura, Robert Lindsey, H.M. “Monty” Richards, Marcia Sakai, Bill Walter — invite you to join our newly formed group, the Big Island Community Coalition. Our mission is “to work together as an island community for the greater good of Hawai‘i Island and its people.”

Our first priority: To make Big Island electricity rates the lowest in the state by emphasizing the use of our ample local resources.

The proposed HELCO rate increase, coming at a time of record profits, does not sit right with us.

We understand the regulatory system, which is rate-based. Our concern is that we continue to see requests for rate increases at the same time that we read about record profits for the utility.

While we understand the fiduciary duty to maximize profits for the shareholders, we believe the utility’s responsibility to the rate payer is just as important. As part of good corporate business, it should benefit both by investing its profits into a sustainable grid.

The Big Island is one of the few places on the planet where we have robust, renewable energy resources that can be harnessed effectively to provide firm, reliable, low cost electricity for our residents.

One example is geothermal, which costs about half the price of oil. We also have solar, wind and hydroelectric. We have resources right here that can both lower our electricity costs and get us off of imported oils.

Lower rates would mean that when the grid needs repairs, or the cost of oil goes up again, it will not be such a punch-in-the-gut to our electric bills.

If HELCO is allowed to raise its rates by the requested 4.2 percent, plus raise rates again via the Aina Koa Pono project, and then the oil price goes up, that would be a triple whammy price hike on your electric bill.

Big Island Mayor Billy Kenoi has sent a strong message that the county will not support new renewable energy projects — such as Aina Koa Pono, which would add surcharges to every electric customer’s bill — unless they result in cheaper energy. “Unless it has lower rates, we will not support it,” he said recently.

UH-Hilo just had a $5.5 million electric bill — almost $500,000 more than last year — and HELCO’s proposed 4.2 percent rate increase would add another $230,000 to their bill. The same thing is happening at hospitals, hotels and businesses. Farmers’ expenses are going way up, which threatens our food security. Electricity rate increases ripple through every part of our economy. They are already rippling.

People are already struggling with their monthly HELCO bill. Some are having their lights turned off.

As rates continue to increase, more people will leave the grid and fewer will remain to pay for the infrastructure, meaning that those households and businesses that remain (because they cannot afford to get off the grid) will pay even more.

You may think the electric utility is a big powerful entity that you cannot affect, but you can. Pay attention! Show up! Write a letter! Do something! If you leave your name and contact information at www.bigislandcommunitycoalition.com, we will send an occasional email to keep you informed of what’s happening, and how you can help.

‘Nuff already!!

Let’s be clear. This is not about how green the energy is. This is about how much the energy costs. This is not about saving the world. It’s about saving ourselves first, so we are in good condition to help save the world.

We had hoped that HECO would have a balanced approach to solving the problems. There are books written on how corporations can take care of people and the environment as well as their investment. The term is called “triple bottom line.”

From The Triple Bottom Line: How Today’s Best-Run Companies Are Achieving Economic, Social and Environmental Success – and How You Can Too:

Increasingly, businesses are expected to find ways to be part of the solution to the world’s environmental and social problems. The best companies are finding ways to turn this responsibility into opportunity. We believe that when business and societal interests overlap, everyone wins.

Rising electricity costs are like a regressive tax, where the poor pay a disproportionate amount of their income. Only it’s worse. As the price of oil rises, people who are able to, leave the grid. This leaves a diminishing number of people – those who cannot afford to leave – to pay for the grid.

What’s wrong with this picture?!

Community, Geothermal

Join the Big Island Community Coalition for Lowest Electricity Rates

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Richard Ha writes:

The Big Island Community Coalition is determined to make Big Island electricity rates the lowest in the state.

Big Island Community Coalition

After all, we have the best combination of renewable resources here on the Big Island. It will proactively weigh in wherever electricity rates are involved.

The fundamental problem with the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative is that it does not require that the electric utility choose lower cost solutions. It does not take into consideration the rubbah slippah folks.

Two-thirds of our economy is made up of consumer spending. If in place of expensive electricity we had affordable electricity, businesses would grow, farmers would farm and we would not be sending our children to the mainland to look for jobs.

Visit the Big Island Community Coalition website to join the mailing list and support the Big Island Community Coalition’s Priority #1: “Make Big Island electricity rates the lowest in the state by emphasizing the use of local resources.”

Community, Peak Oil

‘Big Island Community Coalition’ for the Island’s & People’s Greater Good

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Richard Ha writes:

Did you see yesterday’s Hawaii Tribune-Herald?

The University of Hawaii at Hilo is facing a $5.5 million utility bill, which is an increase of almost $500,000 in just one year – almost completely due to the rise of electricity costs. This shortfall is going to have to come straight out of the university budget.

UH-Hilo utilities cost nearly $5.5M 

By COLIN M. STEWART

Tribune-Herald Staff Writer

…In fiscal year 2011-12, UHH budgeted $5.1 million for its utility costs, with the bulk of that figure being represented by power, said Marcia Sakai, Hilo’s vice chancellor for administrative affairs. 

By spring 2012, the rate of monthly spending had increased such that the school was anticipating a shortfall of approximately $450,000, with anticipated total spending closer to $5.5 million.

…As a result of such jumps in electricity bills, Straney has appointed Sakai as the campus’ sustainability director and charged her with finding ways to cut utility costs and developing an energy management plan, making the university more efficient. He was very up front about his reasons for doing so.

“We’re not being green here. We’re not doing the right thing. This is pure economic necessity,” Straney said. “We’re just doing it to keep the lights on.”

This is exactly what is also happening to families, farmers/ranchers, businesses and everyone else who has a utility bill. 

This is why we have decided to form a coalition. The Big Island Community Coalition’s objective: To work in collaboration for the greater good of Hawai‘i Island and its people.

Our first goal: To make Big Island electricity rates lower than O‘ahu’s rates, which have been 25 percent lower than on the Big Island.

We want to:

  • protect Big Island families from rising electricity rates
  • help Big Island businesses become more competitive in the Oahu market and world wide
  • make the Big Island more food secure
  • become more competitive to the rest of the world as oil prices rise
  • raise our standard of living relative to the rest of the world
  • stop exporting our most precious resource, by having jobs so our children can raise their families on the Big Island
Community, Geothermal, Government

County Council Vote: No Override of Mayor Kenoi’s Geothermal Bills Veto

Richard Ha writes:

The community attended the County Council meeting in force yesterday, many people wearing these buttons:

Buttons

The County Council voted NOT to override Mayor Billy Kenoi’s veto of the geothermal bills 256 & 257. This is the outcome we were hoping for.

The meeting started at 8 a.m. and about 85 people – an amazing number – testified. The meeting went all day and into the evening, and did not adjourn until 8 p.m.

There has been a real change in the dynamics of the geothermal discussion. The people who came from Leilani Estates were so passionate and determined. And they were so rational, and easily understood, and they really impressed me. They changed the tone of the conversation and struck a chord for rational discussion.

They are solid people who work everyday and have families to take care of. They were not involved until they learned this hearing was taking place and they didn’t know a thing about it. When they realized what was happening, it didn’t take any time at all for them to get organized. You could see they were determined to take their community back. It was just great.

And for the first time, Puna Geothermal employees jumped up and spoke up from their point of view, saying things like, “I wouldn’t be working for a company that wasn’t doing the right thing,” and “I’ve worked here for 23 years, and my babies are fine and healthy,” and “We’ve never known anyone at the plant that ever got hurt.”

Others testified, too, people who were not affiliated with either the Leilani Estates group or the Puna Geothermal group. I’d not heard this group join the conversation before. In general, this was a larger geothermal conversation than usual, with a more representative group of Puna folks expressing themselves.

Petra Wiesenbauer, of Leilani Estates, was one of the people involved in getting out the word to the Leilani Estates community (as were Jan Kama and Loren Avedon). Petra attended yesterday’s County Council meeting, and I asked for her take on it:

“We would like to thank everyone for their support and input. Together we were strong. Thank you also to Fred Blas, Don Ikeda, J Yoshimoto and Fresh Onishi, who voted against the override.

“I had expected a circus, but it was civil. I know a lot of the Pahoa folks and the anti-geothermal people. For the most part, we could look each other in the eye. I had several people that I talked to and we agreed that it was okay to have different opinions, and the main thing is that we respect each other as people.  

“I am very relieved that we persevered, but I also feel like we need to do some mending in the community. This is where I don’t have this triumphant feeling. The rift from this in the community is quite big and will take some time to mend. There will be big resentments, and this polarization could have been totally avoided, had the council done a better job in drafting/amending these bills. We could have all worked together on this – maybe I am too optimistic, as there are also some real radicals that won’t be reasoned with.

“I feel that most people on our side brought professionalism, common sense and also an urge to put the facts out. Although I am sure the ‘opposition’ would say the same about their position. Overall, I feel that there is work to be done, now that the immediate threat has been removed.

The Big Island Chronicle wrote about the County Council meeting here.