HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-09-19 Letter to Mayor Michael Victorino re County of Maui v Hawaii Wildlife Fund N '
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25 Aupuni Street,Suite 2603 • Hilo,Hawar'i 96720 • (808)961-8211 • Fat(808)961-6553
KONA 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Hwy,Bldg C • Kailua-Kona,Hawafr 96740
(808)323-4444 • Fax(808)323-4440
September 19, 2019
Honorable Michael P. Victorino, Mayor Mavors.Office(a�co.maui hi us
County of Maui (sent via email)
Kalana 0 Maui Building, 9th Floor
200 S. High Street
Wailuku, Hawai'i 96793
Dear Mayor Victorino:
Re: County of Maui v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund et at
Letter in Support of Maui County Pursuing its Injection Well Appeal
Hawaii County and its Department of Environmental Management strongly supports,
and urges Maui County to continue to pursue, the Lahaina injection well appeal currently before
the United States Supreme Court. Dismissal of the appeal would leave many critical concerns
regarding the Clean Water Act unsettled and unaddressed.
If the Ninth Circuit Court's ruling is not overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, its
interpretation and expansion of the Clean Water Act will have major implications not only for
Maui County, but for all our island 'ohana. The counties must be able to dispose of our recycled
water via environmentally responsible methods that are currently available and feasible.
Expanding the reach of the Clean Water Act by requiring NPDES permitting for existing
infrastructures will be extremely burdensome from both a time and economic perspective.
Further, we do not believe the NPDES permitting requirement will achieve a significant
improvement in our water quality; rather, it will merely exacerbate the current state of our
already overburdened counties.
Mahalo for your dedicated leadership, and thank you for your consideration of Hawai'i
County's input.
Sincerely,
Harry Ki
Mayor
c: Dept. of Environmental Mgmt.
Corporation Counsel
County of Hawaii is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer