HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-09-20 Rebecca Parks Support
From: rebecca lux
To: Planning LPC Testimony
Subject: Bill 170
Date: Sunday, September 20, 2026 10:42:27 AM
My name is Rebecca Parks and I live in Hawi. I am writing in support of
Bill 170 and asking the Leeward Planning Commission to recommend
additional strengthening changes before sending it back to the County
Council.
The original Bill 170 language uses subjective phrases like "industrial-
scale operation" and "beyond that typically accessory or incidental to
office, commercial, or public institutional uses."
Those phrases don't set a clear line, and a well-resourced developer's
attorney can argue around them either way. I'm asking the Commission to
recommend replacing that subjective language with an objective,
enforceable standard: a specific electrical-demand threshold, measured in
megawatts, that applies to a single facility and to any campus of multiple
facilities built under common ownership or control, so a developer can't
dodge the rule by splitting one large project into several smaller buildings.
My heart aches when I read about all the earth resources it takes to
maintain a Data Center. These resources are precious to the people of the
Big Island and Hawaii. It is not in the interest of, nor for the greater good of
the people who live and work here to use the land, water and electricity for
Data Centers. Our State was just tested by Hurricanes Lala and Lowell.
Indeed, our infrastructures are inadequate and don’t need added stress.
Did my electric bill go down because I was without power for 7 full days?
No, it went up.
Our island's closed water system, fossil-fuel-dependent grid, and already
strained infrastructure cannot support data centers. Please recommend
the strongest possible version of this bill to the County Council. Thank you
for your consideration.
Mahalo, Rebecca Parks, Hawi, Hawaii