HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0098.003 2012-2014 N
support for Resolution 45-13 re. abolishing Public Land Development Corporation (PLDC)
for Hawai'i County Council, 9:00 AM Wednesday, February 6, 2013, Hilo chambers
by Cory Horden.Siena Club, W1oku Loa Group, PO Box 1137. Hilo, Howai'i96721
mhinterpac.net 808'908'8965
Last week, State Senator Laura Thielen sent out this disturbing alert:
"Senator Malama Solomon just announced on the Senate Floor in Session that she will not be
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holding a hearing on SB 1 or any other Senate bill to repeal the PLDC. This is after she met Ir.
her committee [the Water and Land Committee that Solomon chairs] and made the commitmt
to hold a hearing. She made the floor announcement without prior notice to the committee. and
said she will wait to see if a bill comes over from the House."
Robert Harris, our State Sierra Club di/ccto/, called this move Im]oddening^
Remember that when PLDC was passed by—many say "sneaked through"--the Legislature two years
ago, there was less than two hours' notice for the one and only chance to testify on the final form of
PLDC. Gary Hooser, director of the State Office of Environmental Quality Con1ro|, but speaking for
himself, called that "[d]isgusting".
Remember that when citizens finally got a chance to speak, at hearings on PLDC rules, they turned out
by the hundreds statewide and called for repeal of PLDC
Remember that for follow-up hearings. PLDC refused to go to neighbor islands.
Senator Solomon will be at Wairnea School Cafeteria tomorrow, Thursday, at 5:15 PM for a town
meeting. We urge people to go and call for hearings on bills to repeal PLDC. That's Waimea School
Cafeteria Thursday at 5:15 PM,
On Resolution 45, we agree with its conclusion that PLDC cannot be ''hxed^, but needs to be completely
repealed. We do not support the "fixes" proposed by Governor Abercrombie and several bills at the State
legislature.
PLDC turns our public Ueanhns, parkn, and schools over to private developers. PLDC can probably
ignore county planning and zoning ordinances; county building permit requirements; subdivision rules and
regulations; and community development plans. It can bypass the kinds of laws that protected Hono|ii.
Keo|akekoo, Na'a|ehu. O'oma. and Pohue.
Citizens are almost powerless to stop PLDC actions—we only get just a few minutes'testimony at
meetings. We can comment on environmental studies, but the studies just describe bad projects—they
can't stop anything. No contested case hearings or lawsuits are allowed. Citizens can't even find out
what's in PLDC contracts.
If developers make pronnises, then break them, PLDC has no incentive to hold their feet to the fire, since
PLDC loses money if projects fail.
PLDC has no neighbor island people on its board.
We appreciate the unanimous support by last year's County Council for Resolution 303-12 urging the
State Legislature to repeal PLDC. We hope to see the same level of support for Resolution 45-13.
Mahalo!
Ref. Date 0 G 2013