Author Archives:

Getting Involved in Statehood Celebrations

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008

Aloha!

Last year, I was proud to sign into law a bill requiring the creation of a 25-member commission to develop, plan and coordinate activities to honor the 50th anniversary of Hawai‘i’s admission to the United States.

I addressed members of the 50th Anniversary of Statehood Commission at their first meeting in November 2007 in order to reinforce the importance of organizing culturally sensitive events and programs that honor the past, respect the present and look to the future, and that also invite the participation of both residents and visitors statewide.

My hope is that the comprehensive plan announced by the Statehood Commission last month will engage the public – including Moloka‘i residents – in a lively and thought-provoking discussion about the significance of statehood.

A year-long series of events to commemorate Hawai‘i’s golden anniversary of statehood started in August. The plan’s varied components provide people of all ages with opportunities to reflect on how statehood has contributed to the Hawai‘i of today and the direction we are headed as the youngest and most ethnically and culturally diverse state in America. For more information about how to become involved, Moloka‘i residents can e-mail statehood@hawaii.gov or visit www.hawaii.gov/statehood.

Hawai‘i’s distinctive history inspired commission members to focus their efforts on community education. A major highlight of the programs they’ve planned is 50 Voices of Statehood, a series of radio and television vignettes recorded for posterity by the award-winning Searider Productions of Wai‘anae High School on O‘ahu.

Featuring diverse and personal perspectives on statehood from 50 residents from across the island chain, the weekly vignettes started airing on several television stations and more than 60 radio stations statewide on Aug. 25 and will last an entire year. The commission has also created an interactive, online forum (www.seariderproductions.com/50voices) so that teachers can incorporate the vignettes into their classrooms.

To ensure that events commemorating statehood have a broad reach, each county will host several island-specific events that will be coordinated by the neighbor island representatives to the commission, including Maui County representative Deidre Tegarden.

Working in conjunction with the U.S. Mint, the commission also plans to host simultaneous events on Nov. 10, 2008 for the Hawai‘i state quarter on O‘ahu and the neighbor islands, providing visitors and kama‘?ina with an opportunity to complete their 50-state quarter set.

The year-long activities will culminate with a one-day public conference on Aug. 21, 2009 called Commemorating the 50th State: New Horizons for the Next 50 Years, at which local, national and international leaders will gather to discuss topics about Hawai‘i’s past, present and future, including technology in our daily lives, education for the next generation, the 21st century economy, and a break-out session entitled “Native Hawaiians: Cultural Navigation in a Sea of Change.”

I know that Moloka‘i residents offer valuable perspectives on the significance of statehood to Hawai‘i. I encourage you to find information on additional events and learn how to get involved at www.hawaii.gov/statehood. In addition, please feel free to send my office your input on this and other initiatives at governor.lingle@hawaii.gov.

Mahalo,
Governor Linda Lingle

Citizens Take Immediate Action Against Water Rate Increases

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008

PUC Rate Increases Investigated

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008

Molokai Residents Get Back to Work

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008

County Of Maui Sues Molokai Properties

Monday, September 1st, 2008

County to seek pledge of commitment and cost reimbursement.

By Catherine Cluett

Last Friday the County of Maui filed suit against Molokai Properties, Ltd. (MPL) to insure that “the company continues to meet its obligations to operate and maintain its water and wastewater systems in West Molokai.” Margery Bronster, a lawyer with the Hololulu based firm Bronster Hochibatain, announced the suit in a press release on the same day.

Word from the Ranch
On August 14, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) approved water utility rate increases requested by the MPL that will go into effect on Sept. 1. These rates were increased from the PUC rates by as much as 178%. Before the rate approval, MPL had issued a statement of intention to terminate water utility services on August 31.

Last Thursday, the day before the suit was filed, MPL director Peter Nicholas confirmed that MPL has agreed to continue services past August 31. There was no indication of long-term commitment, however.

“How long the temporary rate increase will be sufficient for the utilities to be able to continue to operate depends on future fuel, power and labor cost increases,” Nicholas stated in a letter to Carl Caliboso, chairman of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC).

While no lasting or reliable solution has yet been proposed for operation of MPL’s water systems, Governor Linda Lingle remained positive. “The temporary rate increases will allow Moloka‘i Properties to continue to provide water service until another entity can take over the operation.”

Mahina Martin, Communications Director for the County, confirmed last Saturday that the county’s emergency response plan was completed to meet the Department of Health (DOH) deadline, and will go into effect should MPL cease water utilities. Until then, emergency measures will remain on hold.

Commitment Sought
In a phone interview with Bronster, she explained that the goal of the suit is two-fold. The first concerns the contractual agreements entered into with the County of Maui. “When Molokai Ranch and its predecessors sought to develop the property, it agreed to build, operate and maintain water and wastewater systems in West Molokai,” reads the complaint filed by the county.

Thirty-one contracts have been uncovered, some dating as far back as 1978, that bind MPL to continue operating these utilities, among other agreements, according to the county’s complaint against MPL. If they terminate water services on August 31 as they had previously informed the county, they would be breaking legal and binding contracts.

Reimbursement Requested
The second goal of the suit is to “ask the MPL to pay for costs and expenses the county has incurred to prepare for this emergency situation,” says Bronster.
Martin confirms that the prospect of Molokai residents left without water is a great concern to the county, and that the office has put other issues on hold to give precedence to the situation. The county has a budget of $1,260,000 to cover emergency operations for ninety days, and has spent a tremendous amount of time planning for the possible outcomes due to the Ranch’s lack of communication, according to Martin.

Communication on the part of the Ranch is another frustration of the county, according to Bronster. “The Ranch has been less than forthcoming in answering the question as to what their plans are,” she says. “We’ve asked repeatedly that they comply with the orders, and we have not gotten a response.”

Accountability
“By filing suit, the County is going to hold Molokai Properties, Ltd. accountable. Molokai Properties, Ltd. cannot hide behind its subsidiaries and affiliates in an effort to avoid its clear obligations,” Bronster stated in a press conference.

MPL has been called the “alter ego” of its subsidiary water utility companies, Molokai Public Utilities, Inc. (MPU) and Wai`ola o Molokai, Inc. (Wai`ola), and the wastewater utility Mosco, Inc. MPL shares such assets as employees, funds, office spaces and supervisors with these companies. Although the county is suing the parent company MPL and each of its subsidiaries separately, it plans to hold MPL in sole responsibility because the water agreements with the county were entered into with MPL directly.

Background
MPL owns 70, 000 acres of land on Molokai, and a termination of water utilities controlled by MPL would result in a loss of water utilities to as many as 1,200 users.