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From: Dave Kisor[panther_dave @yahoo.com]
ZOO OCT
4
Sent: Saturday, September 28, 2013 1:26 PM '" 02
To: counciltestimony @co.hawaii.hi.us
Subject: Ban enhanced geothermal (fracking)
Aloha Council
Why are people questioning Geothermal energy in Hawai'i?
Owing to Acts 55 (the Public Land Development Corporation or the Pillaged Land Destruction
Company, depending upon your perspective), and Act 97, which repealed County geothermal subzones
and County oversight (Act 96), it has been made known that HELCO (HECO, MECO or whatever
corporate abbreviations they hide behind) and some persons in local and state government have plans for
more geothermal development in Hawai'i and in particular, the Puna District (at least for now, as the
rest of the state is still up for grabs). This legislation is designed to "streamline," an industry term
meaning they couldn't care less about who their operations affect and do not want any opposition from
those it will affect and want to cram it down their throats, whether they want it or not. This is not just an
opinion, it is an observation.
Acts 55 and 97 are about the worst decisions the state has made since they decided we needed albezia.
To protect an industry from the citizens who may develop industry related medical conditions is not why
we have government, but since industry has much more money and power than most citizens, some
legislators tend to forget that they are supposed to be working for the people and not specifically for
industry. I believe the county government has an obligation to protect their citizens and stand up to any
legislation from any level of government that that jeopardizes the health, safety and well being of their
citizenry. Richard Ha holds up Iceland as a geothermal success story, but like any guided tour, he was
shown what they wanted him to see. All of that energy was primarily for smelting aluminum, but metal
smelting invariably leaves toxic waste behind that industry doesn't want you to consider, and for the
most part, doesn't want to bother with their waste, unless they can collect it and sell it to the public, in
the guise of something they really need. Fluoride in our water and toothpaste are the prime example.
Some European countries have removed the fluoride and many of their citizens have reported marked
improvements in their health.
Geothermal energy originates from "deep in the bowels of the earth," as a Geology Professor was fond
of saying, where magma creates intense heat, and if trapped and forced through a network of tubes, can
be used to spin turbines that generate electricity. The geology of an area must be right, otherwise the
extraction of thermal energy won't work without hydraulic fracturing, better known by its industry name
of fracking; however, to avert panic they will call it enhanced geothermal, same thing which also
contains a proprietary chemical stew that has been known to make water ignite, not something one
wants in their drinking water. Many European nations have banned fracking and many Americans in
numerous states are also trying to have it banned, along with many other European nations, as among
other problems, it tend to make earthquakes worse. With all of the exploratory drilling that has ever
been done in Puna, there is only one site found that does not require fracking and that is PGV's present
location. Nowhere in the State is safe, unless you have very influential and powerful legislators who
don't want industrial waste and fracking in their back yard.
What are the effects of a geothermal facility? It depends upon the geology and your proximity to the
geothermal plant. There is the noise from industry and there are intermittent gas releases, which are said
to have remediation for approximately 94% of the hydrogen sulfide under expected conditions, meaning
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if it leaks where it is supposed to leak, whether the system is that efficient, it is not known, but there are
those who smell rotten eggs, meaning a H2S release. It has also been found that when there is a leak,
the plant isn't that forthcoming about mentioning anything about it until after they've been questioned
numerous times. There are other elements, mostly metals in the gas cloud that we shouldn't be exposed
to without protection. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is not vog (SO2). It is much deadlier in lower
concentrations.
Those who work at the plant have all of the protective gear they need, as required by OSHA, but outside
of the plant boundary, you are on our own. In the event of an emergency, there are SCBA (self
contained oxygen breathing apparatus) at strategic locations for the crew. The federal EPA is actually
tasked with regulating this industry, but they handed that over to the state Department of Health, who in
turn told industry they can regulate themselves. Anybody who believes industry will regulate
themselves will also believe the state DoH will return their calls.
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10/14/2013