HomeMy WebLinkAboutINDIVIDUAL COMMENT EMAIL - 128901T
C.a
Mori, Ashley
From:
Sent: Tuesday, October 29, 2019 3:26 PM
To:General Plan; Planning Internet Mail
Subject: Citizen comments on Draft General Plan TO
Aloha,
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 energy andfuelproduction using wood chipsfrom exotic/invasive trees."
That line needs to be eliminated from the County Plan (NOT EDITED) for the following reasons:
1) 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 private-profit
seeking ventures ofprivate businesses, industries, and investors.
2) Biomass Energy(as it is currently being attempted by Hu Honua/ Honua 01a) is NOT CONSISTENT with
the Hamakua Community Development Plan.
3) Biomass Energy (as it is currently being attempted by Hu Honua/Honua Ola) is NOT CONSISTENT with
Hawaii County's Declaration of Climate Emergency.
4) Biomass Energy(as is currently being demonstrated by Flu Honua/ Honua Ola) is NOT cost effective and
WOULD increase energy costsfor 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)
5)It has been demonstrated andproven that Biomass Energy (as it is currently being attempted by Hu
Honua I Honua Ola) is extremely inferior to otherforms ofenergy:
Hu Honua has promoted itself as "Clean Energy" HOWEVER:
6) Flu 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 burning naptha (thefuel for Big Island's largest electricity plant). [IPCC Taskforce & . 'r
above)]
Hu Honua / Honua Ola will emit 300,000 TONS ofgreenhouse gasses per year. This is more than 1,000 tonsofGHGperday. (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 modelingrapidlygrowingCanadiantrees, 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 of GHGfrom burningwoodwouldbeworsethanburningcoalindefinitely.See: <bioenergy greenhouse gas calculator>
The EPA attempted to declare bioenergy to be "greenhouse gas neutral". The EPA then requested endorsementofthispolicytwicefromitsScienceAdvisoryBoard (SAB), in 2014 and again in 2017. On both occasionstheSABrefusedendorsement.
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, hasindicatedthatthefirst3,000 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 ofbiomass/fuel
electrical generation is NOT CERTAIN.
7) 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 gallonsper day, that means that
there will be 1 billion gallons (15,000 olympic swimming pools) ofheated, contaminated water in the aquifer
at steady state, with concern for contamination of the drinking water wells.
This realization may have triggered the Department of Water Supply's demands reflected in their letters--which are STILL UNANSWERED!
8) 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
9) 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 andWaiakeatoPepeekeo, one truck every 10 to 12 minutes.
10) Honua Ola/ Hu Honua would use 400,000 to 450,000 gallons of diesel a year (1100 to 1235 gallons per
day) to harvest, transport,process, trees and remove waste. That amounts to approximately another TENMILLIONPOUNDSofCO2peryear.
11) Further, the State DOT and Hawaii County have completely failed to address the very real hazards andtrafficdangersthatwouldbecreatedbytheHH / HO project if approved. The State DOT and county have beencalledupontoaccountforthisfailurenumeroustimesbymyfellowconcernedHamakuaneighbor, DonaldRudny.
12) Huge Solar farms with Battery Storage, totaling 60MW, near Kamuela will come online by 2022 and willsellpowertoHELCOatllcperKWh. Hu Honua will sell power to HELCO at 22c per KWh.
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13) The state and county governments and the respective agencies (and the PUC)have failed miserably in theirresponsibilitytogatheraccuratedataandfactsregardingBiomassEnergy(as it is currently being attempted byHuHonua) and have thus made 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, responsibledecisionsthatrepresenttheeconomic, public health, and environmental future that Hawaii CountyRESIDENTSdemand.
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-- inourcountygovernment-- and as such, it should be immediately removed. Further, I believe that citizensdeserveanexplanationofhowandwhythatstatementcametobeincludedintheCountyPlanDraft.
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 draftproposes "PROMOTING".
It is beyond UNACCEPTABLE!!
On a final, more personal note: my wife and I live just four miles northwest of the proposed wood-burningpowerplant. Prevailing trade winds will carry the smoke and toxins from this plant to our community, whichcurrentlyenjoyscleanair. We do not want to suffer the damaging health effects of this industrial burningprocess, which is ill-advised for the many reasons listed above.
We should NOT have to battle our own state and county governments and agencies in order to protect our AIR,WATER, NEIGHBORHOOD, Quality of life, and economic and environmental justice. Your salaries are paidfromourtaxestoprotectthesethings, 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!
Mahalo for your thoughtful consideration,
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