Tag Archives: Big Island Community Coalition

Pohoiki: Taking Our Community Coalition Into The Community

September 3, 2012 Richard Ha 3 Comments

Richard Ha writes:

Pohoiki Boat Ramp

There was a Ho‘olaule‘a yesterday, sponsored by the Kealoha Trust, at Pohoiki Beach Park.

Richard Ha; Ku’ulei Kealoha Cooper, administrator of the Kealoha Trust which sponsored the Ho‘olaule‘a; Representative Faye Hanohano; Noelani Kalipi, her husband Gaylen, and their two

small children, as well as Kapono Pa and me, manned a booth for the Big Island Community Coalition (BICC) and signed up new members.

Noe Kalipi is involved with BICC for the sake of her children.

Signing up Leah Gouker.

The BICC’s mission is to lower electricity rates on the Big
Island so that they are the lowest in the state.

I got involved with the BICC for the same reason I got involved in Ku‘oko‘a: We need to align the needs of the people with the needs
of the utility. The world is changing and we must adapt.

This is the same reason I got involved with the Thirty Meter Telescope; it helps our community transition. And it’s also why I now support the Hawaii Island Beacon Community, which is involved in making the health care system more efficient, and therefore more affordable.

Did you see the front page headline in yesterday’s Hawaii Tribune-Herald?

Poor Hit Hardest by Rate Hikes

Should a proposed electricity rate increase of 4.2 percent in 2013 be approved by the state’s Public Utilities Commission, Big Island low-income families will be among those hardest hit by higher power bills.

Last year, almost a third of all Hawaii families that sought federal assistance with paying their electricity bills were located on Hawaii Island.

“For many of our families, the money covers one or two bill payments, and that’s it. Then they’re in trouble,” said [Kayla Rosenfeld, spokeswoman for the Department of Human Services]….. “I get concerned every time I see that HELCO is getting a rate increase because it has a tremendous impact on these families. Their bills are already high now…. And for the elderly, some have to make a choice each month, between buying food or paying for medicine or paying their electric bill.” Read the rest

The bottom line re: all my involvement is that agriculture
is a hard business. I am unable to raise my workers’ pay, and they are coming under increasing pressure from the economy.

Everything I do starts with the objective of helping my farm workers. And helping our workers helps everyone in the community, as well.

Community, Lowering Electric Rates

‘Your Words Become Your Actions’

August 31, 2012 Richard Ha

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

August 29, 2012 Richard Ha

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!”

Community, Geothermal

Join the Big Island Community Coalition for Lowest Electricity Rates

August 19, 2012 Richard Ha 2 Comments

Richard Ha writes:

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

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

August 5, 2012 Richard Ha 1 Comment

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