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January 22, 2017, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Carroll's guest today, Bridget Hammerquist of Friends of Maha'ulepu, is back to bring us up to date with new developments regarding their opposition to the proposed industrial dairy farm on Kauai. The proposed farm will be built 6/10 of a mile up slope from the ocean. There are two large drinking water wells next to the property, and a big hotel on the beach. Because
of runoff into ditches and streams, and the high water table in the area, Friends of Maha'ulepu is particularly concerned about the potential pollution of the ocean and drinking wells, particularly after big storms.
The dairy has just turned in its Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), and the plan is now in a 30-day review period. Bridget notes Group 70, the company who designed the dairy farm is the same company that did the EIS, and they say there will not be any environmental impact. The dairy has not yet been approved, so the public is invited to make
comments about the accuracy of the EIS and what may be missing. The final FEIS is posted at www.friendsofmahaulepu.org. They can also be reached at friendsofmahaulepu@hawaiiantel.net
Friends of Maha'ulepu also sued because part of the dairy is being developed without permits. Bridget discusses why they sued and all the paperwork and information involved in the issue. See their website regarding this issue. Also see our past shows discussing Maha'ulepu on: 12/04/16, 6/19/16, 4/3/16,
5/17/15, 3/8/15, 2/8/15, 12/14/14, 11/30/14.
Carroll also tells us how hard it is to get information from government agencies. For example, one official told Carroll he had deleted emails Carroll requested from his hard drive to make more room.
The second hour a concerned citizen from Maui talks about ethics in the Department of Land and Natural Resources under Chairman Suzanne Case. The caller tells us they are not efficiently enforcing regulations put out by the DLNR, and often there is no response from their hotline. The caller says this has been going on for years and is only getting worse. One
example is non-enforcement of gill net regulations. DLNR did not respond to his call after he called about seeing a gill net, about 100 feet long, being laid out. The next morning the offenders gathered up their net and fish without any intervention. The DLNR still has not contacted the caller about the incident.
The Legislature allocated money for guns for game wardens to protect the land, but from what? When it comes to protecting our resources, wildlife and endangered species, they do not seem to respond.
Another example involves an old incident involving misuse of a helicoptor on Maui. In 2010 it was reported three DLNR officials used a helicoptor, normally used for enforcement for marijuana eradication, for personal use. They were dropped off at a stream to gather fresh water snails for an upcoming wedding. Recently an investigation was done, but there was no finding of violations, even
though many officers knew about the personal use of the helicoptor. There is a lot of cover-up involved. Listen as Carroll tells us why the integrity of the agency is important, how it is being abused, and what is at stake. Carroll also refers to an old story he did, in 1999, regarding DLNR officers using a devise for shocking fish that they confiscated for personal use. Link here to "Shocking Story".
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