COM 1026.011 2004-2006 - Laserfiche WebLink

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important-by suggesting that equally depleting resources across the state is a right of citizens of Hawai'i. Invasive Species At a meeting of the Kawaihae Local Resource Council, staff from the Department of Agriculture stated that concerns about invasive plant and animal species are very real. Understaffing, underfunding, and limited political will were all cited as impediments to developing an effective program to combat these dangers. Examples were given of methods adopted by other island groups to combat the spread of invasive species by ferry systems similar to HSF. Several of the most effective measures are not being taken here. And on Maui, one foreign algae, hypnea, has covered large areas of the coastline causing a drop in waterfront property values, loss of income to the tourist industry, and substantial expense to remove tons of alien limu every week. To date there is no assessment of the risk to the coastlines of the Big Island and the tourist industry which is the island's economic engine. Homelessness Oahu, particularly the Waianae coast, has a major homelessness problem, and as authorities make a greater effort to clear Waianae beach parks, the Superferry will provide a way for people living in their cars to move to the Big Island. The real issue is not whether they can prevented from traveling to the Big Island but whether agencies and organizations serving the homeless will be prepared if there is an influx which will further stress our local agencies and limited parks. rv Summa Without an EIS, it has become apparent that an honest study of the potential impacts of the superferry will not be forthcoming. We live on an island where the absence of planning is coming to be the accepted norm. State officials seem to regard an EIS requirement as an attempt to block the superferry and respond to citizens' concerns by saying, "it's coming whether you like it or not." Instead, an EIS should be regarded as a requirement to anticipate and plan so that the arrival of the superferry causes minimal damage to the Big Island. The dismissive tone of State officials when questioned about any of these concerns suggests that they can't be trusted to represent our best interest unless required to do so. Superferry officials "gamed" the system by resisting an EIS until they could claim that it was too late to do one. While the necessity for an EIS has been debated and pursued in the courts, State officials have continued to demonstrate, by their lack of concern, why an EIS should be required. 3