LNG As Campaign Issue

Colleen Hanabusa is taking a well-reasoned stand

In response to Micah Hicks’ Community Voice “LNG Is A Bridge To Nowhere” (July 31), he is incorrect to assume all environmentalists support his damning assessment of LNG as a potential bridge fuel for Hawaii.

Colleen Hanabusa consulted with national energy and environmental experts before deciding to take a policy position agnostic to LNG as a bridge fuel, precisely because she wanted the opportunity to make fully informed decisions based upon all the fact-based evidence, scientific, health-related, financial or otherwise. She never took a pro-LNG position, she chose to be “open” to LNG until all the facts are on the table. The reality is LNG may never pencil out economically or be cleaner and healthier than burning black crude until 2045, but let’s make that decision based on a fact-based analysis of the best evidence.

Colleen Hanabusa is fully committed to 100 percent renewable energy by 2045. At the same time, she wants to be absolutely certain we can’t reach our goal before 2045 while being cleaner, healthier, safer and more cost-efficient every year, especially for those unable to invest in solar panels, batteries and electric vehicles. Her focus is on making sure we explore every option to increase the benefits of a clean energy transition for low-income families, those who typically bear the brunt of fossil-fuel pollution and spend more of their income on household electricity needs.

In closing, I was pleased to see Mr. Hicks admit we need “policy built on facts and vision, not presupposition.” I suggest Mr. Hicks be open to a discerning analysis before pre-deciding LNG is “unlikely to be cheaper” and “almost certain to accelerate the pace of climate change.”

Please join Colleen Hanabusa at the table, along with other energy experts, economists, and environmentalists, for a fuller discussion.

— Jennifer Tse, Honolulu

Water Dispute On Kauai

Properly applied, the State Water Code could settle this 

Re: “Kauai: A Tiny Company’s Big Battle Over Water Rights,” (Aug. 1):

Hawaii Revised Statue 174C, known as the State Water Code, is a beautifully crafted and far-seeing document that manages and protects the State’s ground and surface waters for “the citizens of the State.” The Satterfields and their opponents in this contest over water-use rights are all citizens of the state.

The Water Code provides the tools to resolve the conflict. That this conflict has persevered for 15 years, being tossed back and forth between the Water Commission and the Supreme Court speaks poorly of the ability of the Water Commissioners and the State Supreme Court to apply the Water Code objectively. The water commissioners and the state Supreme Court are undermining the value of the Water Code and their own credibility by treating the conflict between the Satterfields and their opponents as a proxy for a larger political/commercial/social issue rather than treating it as the straight forward water-management issue that it is.

Excerpt from the Water Code: §174C-2 Declaration of policy. (a) It is recognized that the waters of the State are held for the benefit of the citizens of the State.

— Paul Eyre, Honolulu

Repatriated Remains

We’re still dealing with a dictator in North Korea

I am not sure if my first cousin Frankie made it home this time, but his two sisters and I will wait and we will hope again. (“Pence-Led Service Marks Arrival Of Presumed Korean War Dead,” Aug. 1).

If this Korean War hero (a Marine) were alive today, he would probably thank Vice President Mike Pence for showing up, but remind him that his administration is still dealing with a dictator. And dictators only care about the bottom line of one person — “me, myself and I.”

However, Mr. Pence in all honesty should be very familiar working with people who also adopt this “me, myself and I” concept. 

— Nancy Manali-Leonardo, Waikiki 

The State Of The Democratic Party

We need national representatives who truly support Hawaii

Do we elect our national representatives to go to Congress and vote the way Democrats leadership says they should?

I am a JFK Democrat, which I guess in today’s world leans me pretty much to the right. What I want in an elected official is someone that votes for a bill or action that best supports Hawaii’s needs and desires. We only have one elected official that does that from time to time and it is Congresswoman Gabbard. (“Sherry Campagna’s Quest To Unseat Hawaii’s Most Popular Politician,” Aug. 1.)

Colleen Hanabusa was clueless and only weighed in on 11 bills of which only three were passed and none of them did anything for Hawaii.

As recent as this week it was reported that Mazie Hirono was “confused” about how an immigration law that was passed by Congress and only enforced by Trump was a “Trump rule.” How can our representatives do anything for us in Hawaii if they don’t even know how a law is made! 

Did you ever wonder why a labor union endorses one candidate or the other, better yet, did you ever wonder if the union leadership is really expressing its members desires or is there something more? Now it is said that the carpenters union is supporting Hanabusa. (“Carpenters Union Pumps $3 Million Into Hawaii’s Primary Race,” Aug. 2.)

The question you need to ask is what did she promise to get that endorsement and money. Jobs of some kind for sure and of course some way to make the union leaders rich! 

Our votes for president really don’t count as they declare the winner before our polls even close. The only real voice we have in federal government is our congressmen and senators. We must select the best of the best to represent us. Don’t be blind sheep and follow someone without examining what they really stand for.  

— Tommy Penrose, Waikiki