HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0538.002 2006-2008
Testimony of Robert Pagliai
Hawaii County Council
Committee on Finance
July 24, 2007
Reference to Comm. 538 (Res. 266-07)
Good morning Committee Chair Yagong and the rest of the committee members. Thank
you for the opportunity to speak with you today. I am against the negotiation of a lease
agreement between the county and the University of Hawaii and Naturai Resource
Management for the purpose of conducting bio-fuel crop experimentation. Bio-fuel, as
with fossil fuel, there are still emissions, you will still be burning something and adding
to global warming by those emissions. Whether its sugaz cane, palm oil, or corn if we
attempt to proceed with such ventures we will drive the prices up of food crops for
human consumption and livestock, as in the case of the rest of the agriculture states. We
should not waste our valuable resource, land, for research in bio-fuel when other
countries like Indonesia, currently dominate the market due to the fact they have low Iand
and labor cost, which we could never truly compete with due to high wages and high land
cost. Even if the lease terms where below the current market value we still cannot
compete in the bio-fuel market. Palm oil for instance, is a very labor-intensive product as
with most bio-crops. For Hawaii, we should focus our efforts on what Hawaii has to
offer us in ways of creating energy, like wind, solaz and harnessing the oceans power to
create energy. As far as our agriculture lands use them to feed our people to create a
sustainable food source for our children, so Hawaii is not dependant on the mainland and
other countries for fresh foods. I think if the county wants to lease the land to the
University of Hawaii it should be for food cmp experimentation, not in bio-fuel
experimentation.
Thank you for you time and consideration in regards to this matter.
I
Mr. Robert Pagliai
PO Box 75
Ookala, HI 96774-0075
Comm. No.~ • t
Ref. To: C
Ref. Date JUL~4
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