2016-05-05 Hearing Transcript - PD Initiated Puna Pono Alliance et al Presentation by Claims Adjuster

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MIYASATO: Okay, I guess I misinterpreted that the first time when we passed this through `cause we had, I've witnessed testimony which I interpreted as having effect of stress and emotion and not knowing that it needed to be documented. OWENS: Yeah, emotional distress in claims, there has to be some kind of a documentation to go through. Where it's from? That's going to be up to the particular people, but it MIYASATO: —Okay, and I guess I'm just a little confused as to when you say the claimant needs to be identified `cause I believe it was sometime in the middle of last year, we approved several studies, and I don't recall a specific claimant by name. I recall organizations being named rather than specific people. I can't remember what theU.S., maybe the University was one of `em OWENS: Yeah, we had an individual from the University who signed, whose signature was notarized. That's the claimant. It's a little bit unusual in the rules where it's using claim and claimant. It's being used in several different context. If I had been writing the rules or involved with it, I probably might not have used that terminology all the way through. Probably would be more of as was used earlier, respondent and applicant potentially, or some other terminology. So, the claimant here is the person who is signing their name, notarized as representing or being the agent for the entity that's going to be doing whatever work or is, is monitoring, is having other people do work, and they're gonna be paying those people. Somebody who has that kuleana. MIYASATO: Okay, `cause I get a little bit confused with the procurement process. If that's the case, you know, this application had an amount right up front, yeah? OWENS: Yes. MIYASATO: In the application. OWENS: Yes. MIYASATO: That would be a problem, that amount then? If that's the case? Wouldn't you need to send out an RFP first, get the bid amounts, and then come back for approval of that? OWENS: That's up to the Commission. When they put in the money, request for the others, where it's reviewed in the past when I've gone through it, and/or the course of a number of decades, I kind of know what prices are. Or I've done some research. One was for monitoring systems in Puna so I made calls to find out what is the cost of these things, figured out it's good enough, it's reasonable and appropriate. And we go through, so when we look at it, is this reasonable? Is it appropriate? And then how the money is given out. Who's doing it? That's up to the Commission. I don't write the checks and don't monitor other than you ask me to give a yay or nay. I give it based upon what the rules compliances. MIYASATO: Okay, thank you. 10 EXHIBIT D