HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0025.001 2012-2014 Aloha Committe Chair Wille and Council members
I am very grateful for the opportunity to share my thoughts. And, I must point out that I am
very optimistic for the Big Island with this new council. It is about all of us not just a
few of us.
We farm 600 fee simple acres at Pepeekeo. We started with two acres more than 30 years ago
with a $300 limit credit card trading chicken manure for banana pula pula. What I learned all
these years is that food security involves farmers farming and if farmers make money farmers
will farm. Agriculture has to do with sustainability.
Because oil costs quadrupled in the last 10 years, I set out to learn about oil so we could
position our farm business for the future. I just came back from my fifth Peak Oil conference
a couple of weeks ago. It was held at the University of Texas at Austin.
These are the main takeaways;
1- The world is using twice as much oil as it has been finding for the last thirty
years.
2- The natural decline rate of all oil fields is around 5% per year. We need to make
up the equivalent of a Saudi Arabia every three years just to stay even.
3- Since 2005, oil production has been flat In spite of oil prices sky rocketing.
4- 70% of the production of the average gas well comes out in the first year.
5- We need to replace 30% of our gas wells every year just to stay even.
6- If oil hits $200 per barrel, our tourism industry will be devastated.
7- A new study by researchers at the IMF is very sobering. If oil supply starts to
decline even at a 1% rate is very serious. That is 20% in 20 years.
This is potentially very serious. We need to adopt the "better safe than sorry" principle.
We do have knowledgeable people here on the Big Island. Robert Rapier, works for Michael
Saalfeld as Chief Technology Officer at Merica International. He moved to Waimea several
years ago. He was lead speaker at the ASPO conference on the second day. I suggest he make a
presentation to your committee.
On Jan 4th, Professor Charles Hall will give a free presentation at 6:30pm at UH Hilo campus
UCB 100. Professor Hall was given the Matthew Simmons/ M King Hubbard award for outstanding
education. It was for his pioneer work in Energy Return on Investment (EROI).
I recommend his lecture very highly.
Several of us are working at bringing Professor Hall to Hawaii as a guest lecturer when he
retires next year. He is in high demand all over the world.
Finally, I am a steering committee member of the Big Island Community Coalition. We advocate
for the lowest electricity rates in the state for the Big Island. Big Island rates have been
25%higher than Oahu's for as long as anyone can remember. With lower rates farmers can be
more competitive in the Oahu market. And, the rubbah slippah folks would get relief,
businesses could hire and we will have done positive things to help dodge the bullet.
Aloha
Richard Ha
President
Hamakua Springs Country Farms
Cell 960 1057
Blog: hahaha.hamakuasprings.com 2C, I
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