Ka`u News Briefs March 22, 2011

Tutu & Me participants Lola DeMotte, Makana Toriano, Uncle Gordon Toriano,  Ian Beck, Penny Burgess,
Jayden Haina- Sesson and Uncle Jeffrey Ha`alilio shower the ohia tree they just planted with water and aloha.
Photo by Nalani Parlin

FLAMES WERE VISIBLE along the south flank of the Napau Fire in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park on Monday, as helicopters shuttled crews and equipment into the fire area to begin mopping up hot spots. More than 1,900 acres have burned, and there is no forecast as to when the fire could be contained. The Napau Fire is approximately seven miles southeast of Kilauea Visitor Center on the east rift of Kilauea Volcano. It is a lava-caused wildfire from the March 5, 2011 Kamoamoa Fissure Eruption. 

History of the Napau fire in
Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park

     As firefighters begin cooling and mop-up operations along the north flank of the fire perimeter after establishing secure safety zones, standing dead trees and snags pose high-hazard safety issues. The north flank has the greatest potential to threaten the east rift Special Ecological Area. Fire engines are patrolling the Chain of Craters Road and near the front of the fire, said Gary Wuchner, Napau Fire Information Officer. In addition to Whiskeytown National Recreation Area firefighters, others from Olympic National Park and the U.S. Forest Service in Eldorado, Sequoia, Stanislaus and Los Padres National Forests in California are helping to fight the fire. Chain of Craters Road is open after being closed for the fire, but could be closed again should conditions change. 

Meyer Camp Road, where the biofuels refinery would be located,
about 1.7 miles from Pahala.  Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

A MEASURE SUPPORTED BY `AINA KOA PONO that would allow Hawaiian Electric Industries to spread alternative energy costs among its customers across the state is headed for a hearing before the House Finance Committee. The new legislation was introduced after the Public Utilities Commission rejected a proposal from Hawaiian Electric to increase electric bills in Maui, O`ahu and Hawai`i Counties to pay for biofuel that Hawaiian Electric Light Co. plans to buy from `Aina Koa Pono’s factory and farm planned for Pahala. The PUC ruled that customers on the other islands could not be charged for the cost of electricity they do not receive. 

     In testimony before the House Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, `Aina Koa Pono partner Chris Eldridge asked the Legislature to pass a new law that would allow the rate increase across the islands. He said that his hui’s contract with Hawaiian Electric to purchase the biofuel is the cornerstone on which they are financing and developing the biofuel refinery and farm planned for Ka`u. He said the contract with HELCO is threatened by the PUC ruling and contended that while “biofuel will soon be cheaper than petroleum-based fuel, it will be more expensive for the first few years while the industry is developing.”
     He said the biofuel refinery will “significantly advance the statewide goal of developing clean and independent energy sources, and will insulate the state from spikes in the price of petroleum fuel. Accordingly, any short-term rate increases in utility rates as a result of this project should be allocated across the state.”
     Said Eldridge, “If the allocation of project costs is not allowed, large-scale biofuel projects like AKP will not succeed.”

New PUC director
Mina Morita

     Rep. Bob Herkes chairs the Consumer Protection and Commerce Committee. The measure passed and now goes to the House Finance Committee. The only public testimony on the measure has come from `Aina Koa Pono and Hawaiian Electric. 

     If the measure passes the House and Senate, the Public Utilities Commission, now headed by Mina Morita, would reconsider the electric company’s proposed rate increase to pay for the biofuels.
     `Aina Koa Pono has promised hundreds of jobs for Pahala. The refinery would be on eight acres along Meyer Camp Road, four-tenths of a mile off Wood Valley Road. The land to be farmed to grow grasses to feed the refinery would be on some 11,000 acres between Wood Valley Road and Na`alehu, `Aina Koa Pono representatives say.

A PEDESTRIAN SAFETY ACTION PLAN for all of Hawai`i County can be seen online, and comments are encouraged. The plan, sponsored by the county and the Federal Highway Administration, was written after a three-day conference on the issue, supported by People’s Advocacy for Trails Hawai`i, Island Planning and other stakeholders. It calls for communities designing safe pedestrian and vehicular traffic, from walking to bicycling, to driving cars and trucks and hauling freight. How to make the roads and highways safe involves engineering for paved shoulders, sidewalks, driveways, access, and illumination; signage and crosswalks; land use and site design; education; enforcement; data analysis; funding and involvement of the public. 

People's Advocacy for Trails Hawaii provides a simulated street for the
classroom to help teach road safety to young students in the schools.
Photo courtesy of PATH

     Such classes as Pedestrian Education teach children to walk across streets safely. Students can celebrate a Walk to School Day, learning the protocol of intersections.
     Of particular concern are the high-speed highways through rural towns like Na`alehu and Ocean View. The community could think about more ways to slow people down not only for safety but for the enjoyment of motoring through these communities. The proposed scenic byways plan for Ka`u could also include safety provisions for traffic and pedestrians, said Laura Dierenfield, executive director of PATH. 

TUTU & ME starts its preschool program that involves parents and kupuna today at Pahala Community Center from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The program is free and will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It is available to children five years of age and under, accompanied by a parent or grandparent. Tutu & Me seeks to promote positive interaction between caregivers and keiki while teaching early education skills. Anyone is welcome to stop by this morning to check out the program or call the office at 929-8571.