HomeMy WebLinkAboutINDIVIDUAL COMMENT EMAIL - 128765Mori, Ashley
From:
Sent: Monday, October 28, 2019 7:04 PM
To:
Cc: General Plan; Planning Internet Mail
Subject: Re: Hawaii County Plan Comment
Aloha
I agree with you 100%. I would like to comment further on the failure of the planning commission to consider
the Hawaii DOT stipulation (see attachment) on improving the intersection of Sugar Mill Road and 19. There
will be 120 left turn semi truck movements a day at the intersection. 19 is only two lanes in both directions ' _w
though it. To not require, at a minimum, left turn lanes and accel/decel lanes will make this intersection
unreasonably dangerous and the County may be held responsible if a an accident occurs causing serious injury
or death. Failure to improve the intersection may be considered to be willful and wanton disregard for public
safety.
A DOT rep already indicated to me that the ball was dropped on this issue. They never approved the traffic
study as indicated in comment 1 primarily because DOT had problems with it. Time for someone in the County
to step forward and take a look at this whole project. They need to start doing their jobs to protect us.
I will be writing an official complaint to DOT, Mayor Kim and Senator Inouye regrading the transportation
issue.
1 128x65
VIVA UNGLE.
OUVERNM
Ms. 13.1 Leithead 1 Director
County ,ofHawaii
Planning Department
10 V Pauithi Street, Suite 3
Hilo„ Hawaii 96720-4224
Dear M. Leithead "1"odd,
STATE OF HAWAII
DEPARTMENT Of"TR.A.NSPORTAT10114
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4-10NOLIAU, HAWAH. 96,613,509:7
2..5839
BRENNON T. %MOO,
CIMIEZTPM
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1,110.a OP ,ORIABff
FRANCISMtKEEN.°
BRAN M16 SENJAMJC.
J01,0A, SUMO..
June 29, 2000
Subject Special Management Area Permit 221, Amendment :Request to allow Facility
Improvements: and Conversion from Coal to Biomass, Hu lionua Bioenergy,
TLC, Pepeekeo, North Hilo, Hawaii, FMK.: (3) 2 -S -00/J: 004
The applicant proposes to improve and convert the former Hilo Coast Processing power plant
from coal-fired to 0 'biomass (wood chip) fired facility, The conversion will require that a
substantial and continuing movement of Mel be supplied daily to the facility.
We have the following comments:
The applicant shall prepare a traffic assessment for our review and approval. The traffic
assessment should describe the proposed access from the State highway, the. types and
volumes of vehicles that the facility will require, and the iropact aline fincility's traffic on.
access to the State highway to include traffic safety. The assessment shall include
proposed improvements to the State highway to mitigate the impacts to operational and
safety resulting 'from the tia.cilityls traffic.
2, "Phe applicant shall coordinate with the:Highways Division Hawaii District Eringliniter for
debris and mud removal plans and other contingency plans as the District Engkueer
deems necessary.
4,
tiManticipated traffic impacts resulting from the operation of the converted plain shall be
remedied by the applicant in a timely manner at tho discretion of the Hawaii District
Engineer.
Attached arc Standard Conditions that are generally applicable.
Ms. 110 Unbend Todd
Page 2
HWY-PS
2.5839
Ifthere arc any questions, please contact Ken Tatsuguchi, Head Planning Engineer, at
587-1830. Please reference file review number 10-111 in all contacts and correspondence
regarding these comments.
Very truly yours,
BRENNON T.. MORIOKA, PhD., P.E.
Director c)11' Transportation
Attachment
Don Rudny
P.O. Box 106
Pepeekeo, HI 96783-0106
312-209-5870
On Oct 28, 2019, at 4:28 PM, David Hunt <davidjameshunt@gmail.com> wrote:
TO:
generalplan@hawaiicounty.gov, planning@a,hawaiicounty.gov
RE:
Hawaii County Plan Draft
FR:
David J Hunt, Honokaa, Hawaii
Thank you for accepting and including my comments below in your County Plan Draft Review
and amendments.
The following, (quoted below) statement on pg. 81 (Strengthening Energy Diversity) Policy no.
270 it says:
Promote Biomass enemy and fuel production using wood chips from exotic/invasive trees "
THAT quote needs to be totally deleted / eliminated from the County Plan, (NOT EDITED) for
the following reasons:
State and County governments' duty and responsibility is to serve and protect the public's
health, safety and public trusts - NOT to "PROMOTE" a specific business or industry, and Not
to "Promote" the privateprofit seeking ventures ofprivate businesses, industries, and investors.
Biomass Energy (as it is currently being attempted by Hu Honua / Honua Ola) is NOT
CONSISTENT with the Hamakua Community Development Plan.
Biomass Energy (as it is currently being attempted by Hu Honua / Honua Ola) is NOT
CONSISTENT with Hawaii County's Declaration of Climate Emergency.
Biomass Energy (as is currently being demonstrated by Hu Honua / Honua Ola) is NOT cost
effective and WOULD increase energy costs for ALL consumers. The $.22 PER KWH cost,
demonstrated in the purchase agreement with Hawaii Electric is TWICE the cost of SOLAR and
also SIGNIFICANTLY higher than Solar WITH Storage. (That purchase agreement and the
PUC's handling of it are currently being litigated.) (See additional comment regarding costs
below)
It has been demonstrated and proven that Biomass Energy (as it is currently being attempted
by Hu Honua / Honua Ola) is extremely inferior to otherforms ofenergy:
Hu Honua has promoted itself as "Clean Energy" HOWEVER:
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Hu Honua will burn close to 20,000 acres of Eucalyptus plantation trees at a time when the IPCC
tells us that the most important thing we can do to mitigate the impending catastrophe of
Climate Change is plant more trees in order to sequester greenhouse gasses.
Burning wood emits 1.5x more greenhouse gasses than burning COAL in producing
equivalent electricity (per KWH). (IPCC Taskforce on Greenhouse Gas Inventories (2006) and
Laganiere et al. (2017))
Burning Wood emits 3x more greenhouse gasses than burning natural gas and approximately
2x more GHG than banning naptha (the fuel for Big Island's largest electricity plant). (IPCC
Taskforce & Laganiere (as above)
Hu Honua / Honua Ola will emit 300.000 TONS ofgreenhouse gasses per year. This is more
than 1,000 tons of GHG per day. (Hu Honua Clean Air Permit Application - Greenhouse Gas
Addendum)
A Government of Canada computational tool shows the cumulative Greenhouse Gas emissions
from cutting, burning and regrowing trees to be worse than burning coal until at least 50 years
after the initial harvest (factoring in the transport distance from Waiakea, Pahala and Hamakua
Eucalyptus plantations and modeling rapidly growing Canadian trees, though understanding that
the Big Island trees grow more rapidly.) This is 'best case' scenario, 50 years to achieve parity
with coal. More likely, accumulation ofGHG from burning wood would be worse than
burning coal indefinitely.
See: < bioenergy greenhouse gas calculator > 'lttps:i; apps -set=cfs.rncan. zc..calcalc; en enertzv-
calculator
The EPA attempted to declare bioenergy to be "greenhouse gas neutral". The EPA
then requested endorsement of this policy twice from its Science Advisory Board (SAB), in 2014
and again in 2017. On both occasions the SAB refused endorsement.
Hu Honua's prospective fuel -source trees have been growing for over 20 years. Their harvest
cycle will be every 7 years. This offers no chance to even approach carbon neutrality.
Further Extrapolating this example - Kamehameha Schools, owner ofthe HH / HO fuel -source
trees, has indicated that the first 3,000 acres of trees harvested will not be regrown in deference
to 'other uses'. Again, this makes carbon neutrality and 'green energy' a moot talking
point. THUS the sustainability of biomass/fuel electrical generation is NOT CERTAIN.
Hu Honua's hydrogeology modeling states the transit of discharge water through the Hakalau
Aquifer from the injection wells to the ocean will take, on average, 50 days. At 21 million
gallons per day, that means that there will be 1 billiongallons (15,000 olympic swimming
pools) ofheated, contaminated water in the aquifer at steady state, with concern for
contamination ofthe drinking water wells.
This realization may have triggered the Department of Water Supply's demands reflected in
their letters - which are STILL UNANSWERED!
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Biomass Energy (as it is currently being attempted by Hu Honua) would create threats to
human health and safety (that the State and County have neglected) directly related to
both drinking water protection AND transportation and public safety
Transportation and safety impacts from Biomass Energy - (demonstrated by Hu Honua / Honua
Ola), which will send 5 to 6 logging trucks per hour down Highway 19 from Hamakua to
Pepeekeo and from Pahala and Waiakea to Pepeekeo, one truck every 10 to 12 minutes.
Honua Ola / Hu Honua would use 400,000 to 450,000 gallons ofdiesel a year (1100 to 1235
gallons per day) to harvest, transport, process, trees and remove waste. That amounts to
approximately another TEN MILLION POUNDS of CO2 per year.
Further, the State DOT and Hawaii County have completely failed to address the very real
hazards and traffic dangers that would be created by the HH . HO project if approved. The State
DOT. and county have been called upon to account for this failure numerous times by my fellow
concerned Hamakua neighbor, Donald Rudny.
Huge Solar farms with Battery Storage, totaling 60MW, near Kamuela will come online by
2022 and will sell power to HELCO at llc per KWh. Hu Honua will sell power to HELCO
at 22e per KWh.
The state and county governments and the respective agencies (and the PUC) have failed
miserably in their responsibility to gather accurate data and facts regarding Biomass Energy (as it
is currently being attempted by Hu Honua) and have thus made extremely grave errors in their
agency duties, hearings, determinations, decisions, and permitting processes. Hawaii County
should NOT be blindly "PROMOTING" this polluting, expensive, unsustainable form of energy
when the county has not demonstrated the ability to make sound, responsible decisions that
represent the economic, public health, and environmental future that Hawaii County
RESIDENTS demand.
This language "Promote Biomass energy and fuel production using wood chips from
exotic/invasive trees" appears to me, and likely many - to be the result of the influence from
private, for-profit, special interest - in our county government - and as such, it should be
immediately removed. Further, I believe that I / we deserve an explanation of how and why that
statement came to be included in the County Plan Draft.
This proposed statement is disrespectful and insulting to the hundreds of us - community
members who have consistently asked our state and local governments and agencies to DO
THEIR JOB, to protect the public trust, our health, safety, environment, and our quality of life,
and us - who have worked to protect the economic and environmental well being of our island
and our communities FROM the very Biomass Energy which this draft proposes
PROMOTING"
It is beyond UNACCEPTABLE!!
On a final, more personal note: I, like many of my neighbors and fellow islanders, can see, hear,
smell, (and ultimately BREATHE) the highway from my Honokaa home. Many who live closer
to the currentlyproposed Biomass Energy facility that is Hu Honua / Honua Ola are finding their
community, their air, water, safety, and lives even more threatened by this polluting industry that
your draft seeks to "PROMOTE"
I / we should NOT have to battle my / our own state and county governments and agencies in
order to protect my (our) AIR, WATER, NEIGHBORHOOD, Quality oflife, and economic and
environmental justice. Your salaries are paid from my (our) taxes to protect these things, our
public trusts - NOT TO "PROMOTE" Hu Honua / Honua Ola or anything other profiteering,
private -interest, business or industry that directly diminishes these public trusts!!
Sincerely,
al, CO, r & TTf
Aloha, Peace, Love, & Music
David J Hunt, Honokaa, Hawaii
davidjameshunt@hotmail.com
mobile) (208) 660-8498
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