Kenoi, Kim Outline Differences at Friendly Mayor's Race Forum

HILO, BIG ISLAND (HawaiiNewsNow) -
Billy Kenoi and Harry Kim have known each other for decades. Kim coached Kenoi when Kenoi was just eight years old. And Kenoi was Kim's executive assistant when Kim was mayor. So it was a friendly matchup when the two candidates for Hawaii County Mayor met Friday in a candidates forum at the University of Hawaii-Hilo.

One of the topics at the forum was what to do with the island's trash as the Hilo Landfill nears capacity. Mayor Kenoi pointed to Oahu's H-Power facility as something that Hawaii County can emulate.

"They (Oahu) have four times as much trash as we do, over a thousand tons. They generate over 50 megawatts of energy that powers over 40,000 homes, and they do it for a cost of 91 dollars per ton," said Kenoi.

"Whether waste to energy will be the solution here, I don't know," said former mayor Kim. "It may be something we'll pursue, but we will pursue alternatives besides a landfill."

Perhaps the most pointed disagreement between the two had to do with Community Development Planning on the Big Island, a program started by Kim when he was mayor.

"By law, government will work with the public to determine their lifestyle and the future of their land," said Kim. "I think it's very important that we do this, by ordinance, by law. I was not happy with this administration not fully embracing it."

Kenoi countered that his administration has started even more community development plans several Big Island districts. But, he added, "Community development plans are important because they give the community meaningful input. But they do not supersede community services that everybody expects every day."

Both candidates also came out in support of geothermal energy, but with close government oversight.

"I am here to support geothermal," said Kim. "I am here to tell you we must do it safely like California does it. We must enforce rules and regulations and not depend on the private industry to tell you what the situation is in regards to public safety."

"Currently we have 38 megawatts being produced," said Kenoi about Puna Geothermal Venture's plant. "A lot of fear and questions are going around that there will be a thousand megawatts and industrialization of Puna. And the politics of fear is the worst politics of all."

Copyright 2012 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.

Geothermal Bills Still Alive

By TOM CALLIS

Tribune-Herald staff writer

After being vetoed last week, two geothermal bills will get another chance Thursday as the Hawaii County Council votes on whether to override Mayor Billy Kenoi’s administrative dismissal.

Both bills were the product of renewed opposition to Puna’s geothermal plant and questions over the safety of the technology.

The legislation partially re-purposes the county’s geothermal royalties fund to allow it to cover public safety programs related to the plant, and mandates an emergency response plan for existing and future plants

In his veto message, Kenoi said the bills are unnecessary since it would duplicate the purpose of another geothermal fund and because the Big Island’s incident command system would cover a geothermal disaster. He also expressed concern with one of the bills preventing the county from selling homes it acquires through the geothermal relocation program.

County Council Chairman Dominic Yagong, who introduced the bills, said the move snubs the dozens of Puna residents who have called on the county to do more to ensure the nearly 20-year-old plant has no impact on health and safety.

He called the veto political (Yagong is one of Kenoi’s main challengers in this year’s election) and expects a large turnout of bill supporters at the meeting. Six votes are needed to overturn a veto.

“I truly believe that these bills were correct and we’re going to do our darnedest to make sure we do have our six votes,” Yagong said.

Kenoi did not return a request for comment by press time.

Recent council meetings have turned into marathon public comment sessions with Puna residents, both for and against the bills, speaking for hours to the council.

Pele Defense Fund President Palikapu Dedman said his group stands by the bills and will make its support known inside and outside the council chambers.

Dedman said PDF members will join geothermal opponents in testifying before the council and picketing that same day outside the county’s Hilo offices and possibly and state Department of Health building on Kamehameha Avenue.

“We’re bringing all that we can,” he said, adding that group members will also present Kenoi with a list of their concerns.

Dedman said he hopes to see at least 100 people picketing.

Thursday’s meeting will be held in Kailua-Kona, but those unable to make the trip can still speak to the council via videofeeds in Pahoa, Hilo and Waimea.

Dedman said he expects a lot of geothermal opponents and other supporters of the bills to testify from the windward side.

After spending hours testifying in past meetings, he doesn’t expect too many of them to be happy.

“After all those hours and days of testimony … with one stroke of the pen he shuts everybody off,” Dedman said. “That’s pretty bad.”

The geothermal bills aren’t the only legislation Yagong is seeking to revive.

The council will also consider on Thursday overriding Kenoi’s veto of a bill that Yagong introduced requiring the county to make payments into a county retiree benefits account.

Kenoi called the bill “ill-conceived” and “fiscally irresponsible.”

The county is deferring the payments, which the administration says prevents the county’s fund balance from being drawn down to unacceptable levels that would threaten its bond rating.

Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.

Mayor Vetoes Geothermal Bills

By PETER SUR
Tribune-Herald staff writer

A pair of bills relating to geothermal energy have died on Mayor Billy Kenoi’s desk, unless the County Council can engineer an override of the veto. Both bills generated tremendous public testimony prior to their passage by the County Council last month. Kenoi’s veto messages described both as unnecessary legislation.

One bill would have required the county Civil Defense Agency to prepare an emergency response and evacuation plan for geothermal facilities and to submit it to the County Council for approval by Aug. 1. The bill is aimed at people living near Puna Geothermal Venture. The bill would have allowed the administration to ask for a 90-day extension to write the plan.

Kenoi’s veto message for the Civil Defense bill states that first responders already have a plan for all emergency situations, including geothermal, based on the Federal Emergency Management Agency-developed incident command system.

“Since effective plans are already in place, there is no need for a new plan,” Kenoi wrote.
Council Chairman Dominic Yagong, who introduced both bills, said he was disappointed with the mayor’s action.

“In my estimation, that’s playing politics with people’s lives,” he said.

Councilwoman Brenda Ford said residents of lower Puna should have an idea of what to do in the event of a geothermal mishap.

“The community needs a plan on what to do, and they need guidance from the county on how to respond to a disaster,” he said. “You know, Plan A, Plan B, Plan C. That has not occurred, and I am supportive of that type of community evacuation plan being designed by the county and delivered to all the residents so that they know what to do.”

Ford said the county uses its incident command system “beautifully,” but “the average citizen hasn’t a clue what to do.”

A community evacuation plan would help in that situation, she said.

The other vetoed bill, which would affect people in lower Puna, would have renamed the Geothermal Relocation and Community Benefits Program to the Geothermal Relocation and Public Safety Program, although it’s popularly known as the “geothermal royalties” fund.

This bill would have redirected money from the community benefits program into uses that relate to public health and safety, including air quality monitoring and a public notification system. It would also have made eligible for relocation all homes within a mile of Puna Geothermal Venture.

“The thought that the county would not let us use money to determine what is making these people ill is the most egregious, lack of concern and compassion I have ever heard of,” Ford said. “These people are not making up these illnesses.

“Now, I do not know what is causing it,” Ford said. “They’ve got problems and nobody’s looking at it. … They’ve got very unusual illnesses.

Kenoi’s message to the council says the bill duplicates the purpose of the $2.1 million Geothermal Asset Fund, which is dedicated to funding public health and safety mitigation measures.

Kenoi also wrote that a “significant number” of people who have seen community benefits from PGV would like to see those benefits continue. But Ford said there were “far more people” who supported the bill than opposed it. She pegged the number of supporters at 60 to 70 percent of those who testified.

Kenoi wrote that the bill would result in lower tax revenues for Hawaii County by acquiring and holding homes from people who wish to be relocated, and liability issues that would arise from those vacant homes.

“It would be irresponsible for me to sign (the bill) into law due to its legal and technical flaws and because it is unnecessary,” Kenoi wrote.
But his critics think otherwise.

“Is he saying that health studies are inappropriate? Is he saying that the people of Puna are making these stories up?” Yagong asked.

Kenoi said that’s not the issue.

“The goals of protecting public health, safety and doing a thorough, comprehensive health study, we can already achieve through existing legislation and authority,” he said, and said the county was going to conduct a “thorough, open, transparent and community-involved study with health care professionals, independent researchers who have already inquired. … We’ll go to the community to address those goals.”

“We don’t believe this legislation is based on good science, good authority,” Kenoi wrote. “There’s too much ambiguity, and the first hurdle in signing any piece of legislation is a good law. And unfortunately this legislation has too many flaws.”

The County Council approved the evacuation plan bill by a 7-2 vote and the relocation and public safety bill by a 6-3 vote. Yagong has not indicated whether he would call for a veto override.

Email Peter Sur at psur@hawaiitribune-herald.com.

Source: Hawaii Tribune Hearld