HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0620.014 2022-2024 P /Counci l
Reg,M2-23
COMM.610
From: danhieuxl8
Sent: Sunday, December 03, 2023 10:08 AM
To: Council Testimony
Subject: Resolution 372-23
Aloha Chair Kimball and members of the Hawai'i County Council,
My name is Bob Douglas and I am from Pana'ewa (Hilo), Island of Hawaii. I am writing to you today to 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. Hawai'i
Wildlife Fund has now set the precedent for Kealakehe and many other groundwater polluters.
Please do not let Mayor Roth make the same mistake as Mayor Victorino. Do not approve the funds requested
by the mayor 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.
Sincerely,
Bob Douglas w o
danhieux18@icloud.com
htt costa p://' gram.com/danhieux --<-
808 333-0402
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Comm. ' t.
Ref. To: L'IM
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Ref. Date DEC _ 6 2023