HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0620.008 2022-2024 p/Gou.nct(
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From: Jay Coughlin
Sent: Tuesday, December 05, 2023 10:24 AM
To: Council Testimony
Subject: Testimony re: Resolution 372-23
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Aloha Chair Kimball and members of the Hawai`i County Council,
My name is John Coughlin and I am from Laupahoehoe. I am writing to you today to STRONGLY urge you to
reject the funds requested by the mayor to hire outside counsel to fight Hui Malama Honokohau v. County of
Hawai`i and instead approve the restricted use of the funds for the sole purpose of hiring outside counsel
to negotiate a settlement with Hui Malama Honokohau. .
For decades, the Kealakehe Wastewater Treatment plant has released millions of gallons of treated sewage into
groundwater that flows into our.Honokohau Harbor, causing irreversible damage to the surrounding nearshore
waters and the countless lives that depend on them.
Maui County spent hundreds of thousands of dollars over eight plus years fighting a similar lawsuit over their
Lahaina Wastewater Treatment Plant, to ultimately lose in the US Supreme Court. County of Maui v. Hcnvai
Wildlife Fund has now set the precedent for Kealakehe and many other groundwater polluters.
Please do not let Mayor Roth make the same EGREGIOUS mistake as Mayor Victorino. Do not approve the
funds requested by the mayor—A DISGRACEFUL WASTE OF TAX DOLLARS--and use your powers to
urge the administration to settle the litigation, upgrade the Kealakehe Wastewater Treatment Plant, and do what
is right for Hawai`i's environment and people.
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Sincerely,
John Coughlin ?
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