Kudos for energy waste illumination
First, thanks to Max Dible for great investigative reporting on the energy waste.
Purposely paying $34 million extra for power from HELCO in lieu of the wind farm is not only stupid but almost sounds like some type of special cooperation between DWS and HELCO might have taken place.
Now the board voted to hold public hearings on a rate increase. Keith Okamoto, DWS manager, has not had all wells operational for almost two years. However, he and his chief engineer did get an 8 percent raise for trying to solve problems, which they created.
Since Mayor Kim appoints the board maybe it’s time to let the good ol’ boys go, Replace Okamoto, Craig Takamine and his board members with some who have business sense, engineering ability, communication skills and enough fortitude to discharge their fiduciary oversight duties such as the $34 million. Let’s not forget the reported possible $15 million wind farm breach of contract lawsuit. Now tell me again why we need a rate increase?
Don Zero
Kailua-Kona
Call a spade a spade, media
I don’t wish to say anything disrespectful, or anything political really, but I remember that it took the media many months before it began to call the obviously untrue statements of President Trump “lies.”
Over the past many weeks, we have observed the humanly disgraceful behavior of the administration, through the immigration authorities, toward Hispanic children, separating them from their parents without, on the whole, any documentation that would facilitate their being reunited with their parents.
What I am wondering is when the media is going to begin calling this behavior “child abuse” and “racism.” It is just a matter of accurately naming something, where a lie is indeed a lie and where racism and child abuse are indeed racism and child abuse.
Mike Keller
Kailua-Kona
NOAA has no right to impede Hawaiian culture
It’s shameful that NOAA threatened two Hawaiian practitioners with prosecution and fines for simply doing what Hawaiians have done for centuries: maintaining successful models of marine sustainability and aquaculture.
The irony is that part of NOAA’s mission is to “understand … oceans and coasts, [and] to share that knowledge and information with others.”
NOAA cannot fulfill their mission by dragging indigenous peoples to court, especially when Hawaiian culture has been successful for longer than NOAA’s existence. Both Roxanne Stewart and Kealoha Pisciotta deserve an apology from NOAA.
Kaiwiola Coakley
Kapaau
DWS wind farm snafu very curious indeed
DWS is requesting power cost charge increase despite renewable energy to spare? DWS is requesting an increase from $1.88 to $1.94 per 1,000 gallons. Lalamilo Wind Company owns and operates the wind farm commissioned by DWS.
Lalamilo offers 27 cents per kilowatt while HELCO charges a higher non-fixed rate per kilowatt. Yet in the seven months since Lalamilo went into full-time operation, DWS left nearly 2 million kilowatts of clean energy unused, instead paying a considerably higher price to HELCO. DWS is not purchasing the minimum amount of energy to make the project financially viable, costing ratepayers more than $400,000.
LWC seeking litigation to the tune of 15 million could follow as it appears DWS may be in breach of contract as per the power purchase agreement based on the amount of energy its buying or is refusing to buy.
The question I have is why do the people on the board of the department of water supply still have their jobs? Shouldn’t there be an investigation into their financial connections to HELCO?
Leslie Iijima
Waikoloa