Best State Blunder, Winner Hawaii Superferry Address: One Waterfront Plaza, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Ste. 300, Honolulu, HI 96813 Phone: 808-853-4010 Website: http://www.hawaiisuperferry.com Ah, the Superferry. Love it or hate it, everyone’s got an opinion. (For evidence of just how polarizing this issue is, see the runner up.) But after all the money, protests and legal wrangling, the only opinion that really mattered was that of the Hawaii Supreme Court, which ruled that Act 2—the special law that allowed the vessel to launch without a completed Environmental Impact Statement—was unconstitutional. That put the boat out of commission. But while the saga is over, at least for now, the motives that led the Superferry to be hurried into the water without a sound legal or financial plan—and the true cost of this boondoggle to taxpayers—remain murky. JS
News Real Property Tax Office to Ag Owners-Justify Farm Use or Lose Tax Rate Change could hit small farmers hardest Oct 29 2009 In an apparent effort to collect revenues in the face of a lean fiscal year, the Maui County Real Property Tax (RPT) office sent letters to thousands of ag owners over the past two months, seeking ...
News Speakers Question, Defend Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar’s Maui Water Diversions Despite powerful friends, the plantation may be losing its grasp on the island’s water Oct 22 2009 If the attendees at last week’s water commission meeting in Paia are any indication, a familiar cast of characters still holds political clout on Maui and in Hawaii. Governor Lingle, Mayor Tavares and...
News Hawaii and Maui Renewable Energy Rundown Are we making progress toward energy independence? There's good news and bad news Oct 08 2009 A few items of interest on the renewable energy (RE) front bubbled to the surface this week. Since the Energy Expo a month ago, I’ve been following a curious cover-up locally by...
News Raising Water Awareness & Restoring Maui's Streams Walking downriver for justice and sustainability Oct 01 2009 As with many other things in life, we tend to take water for granted. Yet water is amazing, and deserving of our great respect and stewardship. An upcoming march in support of restoring in-stream flows ...
News Hawaii's Nene Paradox The state bird is still endangered, but there's hope on the wing Oct 01 2009 It’s sadly fitting that the nene is both Hawaii’s official state bird and an endangered species. Before the arrival of Captain James Cook in 1778, there were more than...
Best of Maui Politics & Environment 2008 Hawaii Superferry One Waterfront Plaza, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Ste. 300, Honolulu, HI 96813 808-853-4010 The environmental and legal waters became even more turbulent in the year that passed since Hawaii Superferry ...
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