2019-03-07 Hearing Transcript - Piilani Partners Request for Reconsideration SMA 18-000070

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Whose scientists overwhelmingly and unsurprisingly believe that we are entering the sixth great extinction moment on the planet. That's for the last 2-1/2 billion years. It's only the sixth time it's happening. Just to make sure that those of us who cut out of science and went surfing understand what I'm talking about. Less than 2 percent of the water available in the world is fresh potable water, drinkable water, could be considered the most valuable necessity on the planet. I repeat, necessity. Water is not a commodity. You do not have an option whether you'll drink or resist drinking. Time and tide eventually, you will need to drink. The untapped, untouched heretofore unviolated aquifer of Mauna Kea, clearly one of the great treasures of the world, is a living legacy we leave our children, our grandchildren, and the unborn future. This our generation has shown the propensity for greed, for indulgence, for self -consumption. The act of sacrificing the potential survival of our future generations for a pittance of GE tax, in an attempt to create County -based revenues while sentencing our children to an uncertain future by resting from them the last great resource to feed our resorts is the height of both political and civil irresponsibility by our elected officials and our appointed officials, now sacrificing sacrificing the well-being of the people of Hawaii for a few dollars is more than reprehensible at the very least. And, at the very best, and I mean this for the camera and those beyond this room, at the very best, that outcome will energize a movement to establish new leadership. With all respect, please excuse the thinly veiled threat. Thank you for your time. Those of you in this room, I know you take it seriously, and I know you guys come down and put forth the effort and commitment. And, thank you for your leadership. Mahalo. STOWELL: Aloha kakou. I'm Julie Stowell. I respectfully request that you deny the Applicant, Piilani Partners, LLC, motion for reconsideration of action taken on February 7 t on the Special Management Area Use Permit application. I oppose taking public trust water from the deep, pristine aquifer of Mauna Kea to send much of it off -island creating more plastic waste on our planet, all to create profit for a hand full of people. The waters of Hawaii belong to Hawaii. Water is a public resource and should never be allowed to become private owned or sold. The Mauna Kea Aquifer, the largest aquifer in the Islands, is unbreached and should not be compromised. This aquifer should be protected and preserved for the future. The ecosystem is dependent on this aquifer remaining intact. Hawaiian leaders have opposed this project. We should listen to the people of this `aina. I have learned from Hawaiians that water is the physical manifestation of spirit. It is not a commodity, and it should be protected at all costs. Many people across the State are currently submitting comments to this plan. It is very important that this democratic process be allowed to play out so the public has every opportunity to determine how Hawaii protects it's most valuable resource, wai. In communities where this is not allowed to happen, we see corporate exploitation that often results in permanent contamination of water supplies such as in Flint, Michigan. The Windward Planning Commission's duty is to render decisions that are in the best interest of the public, the public's health, the public's safety, and the public's interest. And, that duty logically includes utilizing the final Water Resource Protection Plan in consideration of this decision. Further, an SMA special use area permit is by definition tied to a specific special use. It would be incredibly shortsighted to grant an SMA Permit without the certainty that the special use request was, in fact, guaranteed, and certainly Piilani Partners does not have that guarantee to offer. EXHIBIT B 8