Legislators to Talk Wind with Local Residents

Office of Senator Mike Gabbard News Release

Members of the Hawaii Legislature and guests will be visiting Molokai on Wednesday, Nov. 2 to hear from island residents about a wind farm proposed for Molokai.

Sens. Mike Gabbard and Kalani English, Rep. Denny Coffman and Susan Kodani, district director for Congresswoman Mazie Hirono, will spend the day visiting various parts of the island. 

Gabbard, chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Environment said, “I want to make it clear that we are coming because we truly want to listen to residents’ thoughts, feelings and concerns about a proposed wind farm on Molokai.  We think that it’s important to hear directly from the people of Molokai, not in a formal town hall-type setting, but more in an informal, conversational setting.”

Gabbard said legislators are well-aware how difficult it is for neighbor-island residents to travel to Oahu and provide testimony on proposed legislation.  “We’re very much looking forward to sitting down and talking story with folks about this issue,” he said.

The schedule is as follows:

10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Listening visits in Maunaloa at park next to post office.
12:30 to 2:00 p.m.   Listening visits at Kualapu`u Recreational Center.
2:30 to 4:30 p.m.     Listening visits at Mitchell Pauole Center Conference Room in Kaunakakai.

The listening visits will not be in a town hall-type format. Instead, the legislators as a group will meet with Molokai residents individually or in small groups. There will be a time limit, perhaps two minutes per visit, depending on the number of people wishing to meet with the legislators. Anyone wishing to speak to the legislators should sign in with the legislators’ staff at the site just prior to the listening visit.