Remove ImagesThe Maui 10
Who's the county's most powerful player?
December 13, 2007
Future Maui condos?
Man, the Pacific Business News website on Dec. 4 had some great news for local land developers. Let's start with the story that median condo prices in Maui County went up even more in November, and now top $647,656, which is actually more than a single family home. But most of the best condos on Maui are near the shore, and the long-time viability of living there is very much in doubt. Which segues to the story on a new Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development report that says by 2070 rising sea levels could displace 150 million people around the world. Of course, Maui isn't mentioned in the report—or Honolulu, for that matter—because it only deals with the biggest, richest cities around the world, but the ocean doesn't discriminate on the basis of wealth or population. And for land developers like A&B, Maui Land and Dowling, this is great news. It means they're going to have to build further inland because everything they're putting up now by the shoreline is doomed! They can't lose!
RANK PREVIOUS COMPANY
1 1 Alexander & Baldwin
2 2 Monsanto Hawai`i
3 4 Weinberg Foundation
4 5 Dowling Co.
5 6 Maui Land & Pineapple Co.
6 3 Tesoro Hawai`i
7 7 Maui Electric Co.
8 8 Goodfellow Brothers
9 9 Wailuku Water Co.
10 10 Hawaiian Telcom
REFINE THIS!
And now we read that Tesoro—which runs one of the two oil refineries in the state—is flirting with disaster: "Tesoro Corp said it may spend up to $175 million to upgrade its oil refinery in Kapolei," reported PBN on Dec. 5. "The project… would essentially enable the refinery to more efficiently turn crude oil into gasoline and improve the quality of the fuel." Say it ain't so, Tesoro! If you do that, then you run the risk of being able to refine more fuel, which could possibly, conceivably lower our prices at the pump. And then where will you be? Tesoro, refiners are supposed to bitch and moan about a lack of refining capacity—not actually do something about it! MTW