2015-03-05 Hearing Transcript - WPC Initiated Puna Pono Alliance GAF

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A second one was a meta -study of hydrogen sulfide studies done by the University of Hawaii. That one was not competitive but as the Corp. Counsel said, it was to the University of Hawaii. A third study was the groundwater study which was done by the United States Geological Survey, and the groundwater study was awarded without an RFP. The final study was a soil sampling study at the old HGP -A site, and as far as I know, that one was done without an RFP to a private contractor, so it would appear to me that on the surface, the County has the flexibility to award this contract without putting it into further procurement. The RFP is bothersome to me, and I'm going to bring up a different issue. The Adler group recommended a health study—this is the $750,000 health study—that recommended broadly how that health study should be done and then recommended how the person that would do that study should be selected. There were three principles that the Adler group used in making that recommendation of how the health study should be selected. Those three principles were that the process would be transparent so that people could see how the health studies were rated and who was chosen, that there were true experts on the evaluation committee, and it provided procedures to find those experts. And, finally, that there would be community input into that selection. When you, the Windward Planning Commission approved that health study, I read the RFP that was submitted at the time. The RFP that was finally sent out for proposals did not include any of the provisions about expertise, transparency or community involvement. So, it is with some angst that I think that another study would go to the RFP where a procurement officer without having any stipulations on how he does his evaluation, would be the person that chooses without input from the community or without input from experts. Finally, I agree with what Ron said about the Sunshine. It would have been very convenient. I asked several people what this hearing was about. I was told that it was a reconsideration by one member but the topic of the reconsideration or the purpose or why that occurred was, was never provided so that the first time we found out today was when the Corporation Counsel made his presentation on procurement rules. Thank you for your time. ALBERTINL Aloha Commissioners. My name's Jim Albertini. I'm a long time Puna resident. I'm the president of Malu `Aina organization in Kurtistown, and our farm was the hub for the Big Island Rainforest Action Group that for 30 years or more worked closely with the Pele Defense Fund and other community organizations on the geothermal issue. So, I'm intimately knowledgeable on the history of concern in Puna. In fact, in 20 days from today, on March 25th, that will mark the 25th anniversary of one of the, if not the largest civil disobedience actions in the history of Hawaii. When we had 2,000 people in Wao Kele o Puna and over a 150 people arrested for a non-violent civil disobedience on a single day. That's 25 years ago, when we were standing with Hawaiians calling for justice. You know, and here we are today, now dealing with this thing that we had no knowledge of until we came here this morning. An RFP. I think it 11 EXHIBIT E