HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0825.015 2010-2012 Murashige, Laura
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From: Denise Fleming [deefleming0l @gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2012 10:49 AM
To: counciltestimony @co.hawaii.hi.us
Subject: Written Testimony for Bill 292 Draft 1 E P: CO
Written Testimony for Bill 292 Draft 1
Council Members:
I am curious as to why this particular bill, 292, limiting drilling operations at Puna
Geothermal to daytime hours to prevent noise from the work from becoming a nuisance to
nearby residents has been scheduled to take precedence over, or to distract from, more
pressing issues facing our county.
Bill 292 just came out of nowhere after all of this time, amidst the contrived and
recently revived geothermal controversy and the foggy atmosphere of an election year.
Twenty-four hour drilling has been going on when necessary for I can't remember how many
years. True, there have been complaints and responses to the complaints. There are advance
notifications of pending drilling activity mailed out to the residents of the community,
and there is a noise complaint hotline for reporting excessive noise caused by any
geothermal operations, day or night.
Now suddenly the lame duck Chair of the council finds it urgent, if not IMPERATIVE to
propose and pass bill 292 on a whim. It attempts to revoke and rewrite the operation
permits for drilling at PGV, ignoring the fact that the permits are issued and overseen by
the Department of Health, DLNR and the Planning Department, and regulated within the
limits set by the EPA and OSHA.
The Council has no legal authority to modify the Geothermal Resource Permit. This recent
maneuver to use geothermal operations in Puna as a political tool for agitating segments
of the community is a cynical attempt to pander, demagogue, distract and perhaps to use
his position to settle scores with political rivals.
As if the failed attempt to divide our community by conjuring up a one mile "safety"
buffer/no-man's zone weren't bad enough, now the Council Chair is attempting, without
legal authority, to establish new regulations in the PGV operation permit. This would,
without a doubt, result in higher costs of living for residents, higher costs of doing
business, and cost increases for consumers. It would also call into question any future
permitting processes by companies hoping to operate on the Big Island. Are those not major
considerations, or even minor afterthoughts in this latest lame duck Council Chair power
grab?
Presently, the most pressing issue before the council is the scandal of the incompetent,
or perhaps deliberate mishandling of our Primary Election process which could put our
votes at risk in the General Election. With so little time left till the November
Election, the public is left with little confidence and a lot of doubt in the integrity,
care and due diligence of the election process by the Election Division or the council's
willingness to do anything substantive about it.
Some suggestions for the Council body to consider while discussing solutions to the
problems of the Election Division on today's agenda:
The Council members should do their duty by urging the Chair to ask the current County
Clerk for her resignation, effective immediately, as the Council Chair should have done
months ago.
The Council Chair should recuse himself from voting on, participating in, or proposals of
any measures regarding the Elections Division that come before the Council body prior to
the resignation of the County Clerk.
The Chair should restore some dignity to the position of Council Chair by presiding over
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Council business and by refraining from further political maneuvers until his term
expires.
The Chair should quietly return permanently to private life when his term expires, as
expressed by voters in the primary election.
Mahalo,
Denise Fleming
14-4074 Halekamahina Rd.
Pahoa, HI 96778
Phone: 938-0637
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