2024-11-22 Donna Thompson Testimony

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that there is no significant man-made global warming in this half-hour PowerPoint presentation.https://youtu.be/K56fms2VZTc?si=ZuTpJ- bEnNPCGOkf WASTE-TO-ENERGY Two"waste-to-energy"proposals(2008 and 2015)for Hawai'i Island were rejected after months of divisive debate.It was concluded the island doesn't generate enough garbage to make it cost effective.O'ahu taxpayers are paying penalties to H-Power because O'ahu can't generate enough waste to fulfill the contract. While some advanced waste treatment technologies are promoted as alternative energy producing,the energy conserved by recycling and composting the source materials exceeds the amount of energy produced by these technologies by three to five times.There are some"glass type"building materials that can be produced by the incineration process.Incineration is a form of Destructive Disposal via combustion or thermal conversion/treatment,using high temperatures of discarded materials into ash/slag,syngas,flue gas,fuel,or heat.Incineration includes facilities and processes that may be stationary or mobile,may recover energy from heat or power and may use single or multiple stages.Some forms of incineration may be described as resource recovery,energy recovery,trash to steam,waste to energy,energy from waste,fluidized bed,catalytic cracking,biomass15,steam electric power plant(burning waste),pyrolysis,thermolysis,gasification,plasma arc,thermal depolymerization or refuse derived fuel. Sustainable Development and Resilient Communities Section 1:Land Use Table 4:Land Use Challenges Regulations The current regulatory process dictates that the State Land Use Commission must preside over boundary amendments that exceed 15 acres, which limits the efficiency of ensuring consistency in the land use pattern.p.25 Land Use Commission protections against unwise development should be maintained when it comes to outside large scale developers.However, property owners should not have more regulations and rules than they already have. Table 5:Land Use Opportunities Coordinate with the Department of Health(DOH)to address unique land use situations on the island related to individual wastewater systems (IWS)and prioritization of resources.p.26 Clarification is needed on the meaning of land use situations Explain clearly what the"rezoning"will be and clarify if AG land will be affected.The current zoning for Hawaii island is 80%AG.Any reduction of AG is contrary to sustainable production of food. Transparency is needed on what the"preferred land use pattern"is.The current system should remain,so developments are proposed one by one,and agencies and communities have time and energy to address impacts. Policies Sentence types are mixed,hampering comprehension. 4.3 Zoning,subdivision,and other applicable ordinances shall provide for and protect open space areas.These new zonings shall not hinder current land owners who have a right to own their property unhindered by governmental policies. Declarative sentence 4.4 Support mechanisms,such as Planned Unit Development and Cluster Plan Development,that cluster density to preserve open space,recreational areas,or scenic viewsheds.p.27 Define"cluster density".This should not be in regards to developing apartment style homes. ENERGY 4.9 Route selection for high-voltage transmission lines should include consideration for setbacks from major thoroughfares and residential areas. Where feasible,delineate energy corridors for such high-voltage transmission lines.p.27 Encourage-incentivize"off grid"or distributed power sources,instead of centralized,to increase resiliency. Priority Actions 4.a Develop a process for County-initiated State Land Use boundary reclassification.p.28 See related comment for p.26. Transparency for"boundary reclassification"is needed.What exactly are the boundaries in question and what will it be reclassified to? 6.d Amend the Zoning Code to allow for Planned Unit Developments(PUD)to become administrative permits and subject to the approval of the Planning Director.p.29 This should be deleted!The people do not want to live in Units and these"planned units"are against current zoning codes. Table 6:Urban Land Use Urban Expansion Reserve Allows for a mix of high density,medium density,low density,industrial-commercial mix,and/or natural designations in areas where growth may be desirable,but where specific settlement and infrastructure have not yet been determined.p.32 This should be deleted!Mixing housing,industrial,and natural uses can result in severe impacts on safety,health,and natural resources.