HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0620.044 2022-2024 P/CoutnciI
Res. 72-?.3
COMM. bed
From: Keahi Akina COUNTY CLERK
Sent: Tuesday, December 05, 2023 9:38 PM COUNTY OF HAWAI'I
To: Council Testimony RECEIVED ,/„�
Subject: Resolution 372-23 Time N a.MM By C_, _
Date DEC 0 6 2023
Aloha Chair Kimball and members of the Hawai'i County Council,
My name is Keahi Peters and I am from Kona.
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 Mama 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.
I have two young babies who depend on the future of our oceans and water to sustain themselves. Now more than ever I am
asking that you think about our keiki and the consequences of this issue.
Sincerely,
Keahi Peters
96740
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Comm. No. ' , •�T
Ref. To: ) Ilf ll
1 Ref. Date C 6 2023