HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0620.037 2022-2024 P/GOuri c,
R/S.572-Z
COMM.COD
From: Nanea Lo
Sent: Tuesday, December 05, 2023 10:08 AM
To: Council Testimony ,co.
Subject: Testimony re: Resolution 372-23
Hello Chair Kimball and members of the Hawai`i County Council, G" =s r
My name is [name] and I am from [residence]. _.
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 Hawaii 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,
Nanea Lo
96826
Nanea Lo(she/they/`o ia)I Micro-influencer
r"i;aio 8, Program Coordinator NAPA.
Hav:ari Alliance for Progressive e Action 5013-c
Board Member I Hawai'i Worker's Center
Granter I Hawaii People's Fund
Kona Representative I O`ahu Island Burial Council
Commissioner O'ahu Historic Preservation Commission
Instaqram I Twitter I Linkedln
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"Some people say that Hawaii will be a better place when Hawaiians no longer stand in the way of progress. But even these
people must know that at this point, this will no longer be Hawaii."-Jonathan Kay Kamakawiwo`ole Osorio. The Value of Hawaii
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•Comm. N . V 0•9
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Ref. Date DEC ` 6 2 -.I