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heard over the years. So I certainly welcome your response to that or any of the Commissioners. <br />Thank you. <br />BAIL: I also welcome -. <br />GRAHAM: Yes, Ms. Bail. <br />BAIL: I also welcome the Planning Director’s suggestion that this be addressed <br />in a conference. The monitoring that we conduct is overseen by various regulatory agencies, and <br />the implications of changing the monitoring protocols would involve oversight issues with all of <br />those other regulatory agencies as well. The report does note that we do have a good data set for <br />Waikoloa. I think there is also -. The report has never formally been provided to us by the <br />Commission for any kind of response. We are certainly aware of it; we certainly would like the <br />opportunity to address it. I’m inclined to think that through better community involvement in a <br />non-adversarial proceeding, there can be better use made of the report, when further input is able <br />to be had from the community as to the contents of the report. And so we will welcome the <br />Planning Director’s suggestions to hold a conference to examine the report and discuss it. <br />GRAHAM: Thank you very much. I did request of Mr. Darrow from the last meeting <br />that I knew the person who again was an independent person here in West Hawaii and most <br />knowledgeable about water, was a Bill Walsh who works for Department of Land and Natural <br />Resources; and I think Jeff did request, if he could make it today, to come. So if he is here, I <br />would certainly welcome him and I’m sure the rest of the Commission would also, if he has any <br />comments he would like to offer to the Commission about how we should interpret the data we <br />are receiving and anything else that he feels could be helpful. So Mr. Walsh, I’d appreciate your <br />coming forward, if you would. Can I first swear you in after you sit down? Could you raise <br />your right hand, please? And do you swear or affirm to tell the truth today on this matter before <br />the Hawaii County Planning Commission? <br />WALSH: I do. <br />GRAHAM: Thanks. And give your name and address as you begin your testimony, <br />please. <br />WALSH: I am Dr. Bill Walsh. I am the West Hawaii Aquatic Biologist for the <br />Division of Aquatic Resources, Department of Land and Natural Resources. <br />GRAHAM: Thank you. Go ahead with any comments you care to make. <br />WALSH: Let me start off being very frank, and reiterate what Mr. Graham is saying. <br />In the best of all worlds scientific information would have a certain level of certainty, and it <br />would be independent of where it came from. The reality of the situation is however – and <br />we’ve seen this repeatedly here in Hawaii and elsewhere – is that you have to see the source. <br />And as Mr. Graham says, and I would certainly reiterate and emphasize, that information coming <br />from paid consultants does not have the same credibility without any other inspection of the data <br />or peer review of the data than you might expect from people who have no vested interest other <br />than the scientific integrity. This is pretty blunt, but we’ve run into the situation repeatedly <br />throughout the state from Hokulia to Pila`a, and I can see things developing here. Now the <br />EXHIBIT C <br />8 <br /> <br />