HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0918.007 2012-2014 COUNTY CLERK
COUNTY OF HAWAII
RECEIVED
Time l0:I5 By
Date 0/77l/ii
testimony in support of Resolution 452-14 to withdraw waste-to-energy RFP
for Hawai'i County Council Agriculture,Water, and Energy Sustainability Committee
10:15 AM Tuesday June 17, 2014 West Hawai'i Civic Center
by Cory Harden, Sierra Club, Moku Loa group, Box 1137, Hilo, Hawai'i 96721
333cory@omail.com (808) 959-7747
We urge the Mayor to withdraw the waste-to-energy RFP (3044) and rewrite it so it's open to proposals
that maximize the output of compostables.
Instead of committing taxpayer dollars to one big silver bullet that ties us to off-island interests for
decades, we should first try multiple small-scale local operations that allow us to change course as
needed.
Waste-to-energy should give us pause. It could be the largest public works project in County history, cost
over$100 million, lock us into producing 95,000 tons of waste a year for 30 years, and cause pollution.
Mayor Kenoi's January presentation to the Council and the RFP's narrative both featured maximum
compostables. But RFP's specific criteria were different—favoring huge waste-to-energy proposals. This
shut out at least two entities that would have maximized compostables. It also shut out zero-waste and
resource recovery approaches that would support our local economy, and use of simpler technologies
and existing infrastructure.
There's a big push to build a plant before Kenoi leaves office in 2016. But in this rush, we may miss
potential problems and viable alternatives. Richard Anthony, a potential bidder, noted the"tight
deadline...favored companies that had advance notice of the process."
[`Complaint made about waste facility bid process', Hawai'i Tribune-Herald, 4-24-14]
The county at first refused to reveal the number of bidders. There were only eight, compared to 20
responses on Maui when they did a comparable project last year.
Some estimates say the Hilo landfill should last five more years, so we have time to think.
Remember our long,tortuous pfeeCss debate over waste-to-energy just six years ago? Council finally
killed the proposal because of the $125 million price tag.
From 2000 to 2011 in the U.S.,fewer places chose landfilling and combustion, and more chose recycling,
per the Environmental Protection Agency.
In 2013 Solid Waste director Greg Goodale and Acting Environmental Management director Dora Beck
expressed doubts that the county could produce enough waste for a waste-to-energy plant. And we have
no idea how much waste we'll produce 30 years from now.
Maximizing compostables would lessen our dependence on expensive, shipped-in fertilizer.Why burn our
local compost for waste-to-energy, then ship in compost and fertilizer?
If green waste gets wet before going into waste-to-energy, we'd need more fuel to burn it, and the county
would pay.
Recycling and re-use could handle about 70% of our waste, and perhaps the rest could be shipped to
H-Power on Oa'hu.
[see back of page]
Comm. No., 9�8'SC Ref.To: PJU 1� "LU14
Ref. Date
Paraphrasing James Weatherford's excellent presentation to Council recently:
If we work towards zero waste, resource management, and small-scale local operations, this means:
• empowering communities--not encumbering them with contract obligations
• dealing with local people—not off-island people
• investing in local communities—not off-island interests
• choosing low financial and environmental risks—not high
• choosing more flexibility—not less
[James Weatherford at AWES Committee, 3-31-14]
And maybe illegal dumping will go down if local communities are involved in waste solutions.
Please support Resolution 452. Mahalo.
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