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better understanding of this wai. Our kupuna knew that it was, that it was a very important
<br />resource. It's Kaohe. It is a contained water system. Our kupuna knew that. It may not be
<br />written in a commission plan or any kind of law, but it's in our oli, it's in our mo`olelo. And, it's
<br />there. And, if we look there, and if we look into ourselves, we know the answer already. So,
<br />please stick with your decision and defer action. Mahalo.
<br />MURPHY: Aloha, my name is Ariel Murphy. I'm a Punatik, and I'm proud of it. Most of the
<br />things I want to say have been said. And, I'll be brief about what I really want to say. Number
<br />one, water, potable, fresh clean water is slowly becoming a very scarce resources, and we see
<br />that on the mainland. California is trucking its water from Mexico and other states, nearby
<br />states. We see Nestle buying up practically all the water rights it can lay its hands on, okay? We
<br />are an island in the middle of the Pacific. We have this public resourcea resource that we need
<br />to keep in trust and protect from greedy people who are just after making money and for future
<br />generations, our children and grandchildren. I'm not here to represent any group. I come here as
<br />a Hawaiian although I don't have anyI'm not kanaka, but I am Hawaiian. So, and we made
<br />ourselves part, and we take pride in, we are the only state who is a part of the Paris Accord. I
<br />think getting this water, plastic water bottling facility to operate is just not consistent or is not in
<br />alignment with our being a member of the Paris Accord.
<br />And, the other thing is it's like water is like the air we breathe. What are they going to do next?
<br />Bottle the air we breathe and charge us for it? And, the other thing is, if I may—if I may put it
<br />into an analogy, the Mauna Kea Aquifer is like a piggy bank. It's something that, you know,
<br />each member of, we are a family, we put money into it for the future just in case there's a very
<br />urgent need to break that bank, but now one member of the family wants to use that money,
<br />break that bank, and go gorge himself at the buffet at Queen's Court. That doesn't seem right. Is
<br />there a water shortage? Are we running out of water? What the fuck do we need a water
<br />bottling facility for? Thank you very much, aloha, and please pardon my language.
<br />CAMARA, J.: Aloha O Joseph Kualii Lindsey Camara ko`u inoa. O Mauna Kea ku`u mauna.
<br />`Ono Wai Kapu o Kane ku`u wai. I live with my family in the wao ma`ukele o Kaumana. I
<br />want to thank all of you guys on this Commission. Through this process, I've really come to
<br />appreciate the position that you are in, and it's a very hard, these are very hard issues to weigh in
<br />on, and I really thank you guys for, for continuing to hear us and for this, for this big kuleana
<br />placed on your guys' shoulders. I know there's a lot of things that you cannot weigh in on, but I
<br />wanted toI'm here to try and help you guys make this decision.
<br />And you guys can weigh in on the public trust, on the Public Trust Doctrine. And, again, it does
<br />comprise of two things: the protection of the resource and also on the considering beneficial
<br />uses. And, I think it's very, I think it's very dangerous for us to continue to consider
<br />privatization of water as a beneficial use, and you guys do have your guys discretion to use on
<br />that. And, I know it's been done before, but, you know, we continue to make that precedent with
<br />each decision that we make.
<br />You know you know, if we continue, continue to consider the, the correlative and the perlative
<br />rights of landowners and tap, and privatization of water as a beneficial use, it's just going to
<br />draw in more people who want to exploit our resources. Looking back, under the Public Trust
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