Rob Weltman

Initiative To Benefit Nearshore Fisheries

Please write to Governor Abercrombie and ask him to pick Maui for the Pilot project for restoring the near shore fisheries. Honolulu, Hawaii — Governor Neil Abercrombie today announced a joint initiative between the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Conservation International (CI), and the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation (HKL Castle) to increase enforcement that will help sustain Hawaii’s nearshore fisheries. The initiative will create new Fisheries Enforcement Units, a priority program of DLNR’s … Read more

Haleakala Telescope

See Kilakila o Haleakala website Map of Proposed Telescope Sites The Issue One view is that, Maui (and Hawai’i as a whole) needs high tech jobs Another view is that Haleakala is a sacred place with deep meaning in the Hawaiian culture. The existing telescope buildings are an obvious eyesore and adding more will only intensify the problem.  

Stephanie Fried Biodiesel Testimony

Testimony of Stephanie Fried, PhD Testimony of Stephanie Fried, Ph.D. Environmental Defense OPPOSING HB 1718 HD1 relating to special purpose revenue bonds for BlueEarth Maui Biodiesel, LLC, for construction of a biodiesel refinery on Maui. FRIDAY, March 30, 2007 3:00 P.M. Conference Room 308 Aloha Representatives Oshiro, Lee, and Finance Committee Members I am enclosing some information on the palm oil which will likely be used in the proposed “biodiesel” plant. HECO announced its intention … Read more

Biodiesel

Key conditions for sustainable Biodiesel: Use waste and byproducts or locally grown feedstock that doesn’t displace rain forests Decentralize – small plants using local feedstock and selling locally Biofuel LifeCycle Paper Sierra Club National Biomass Policy Sierra Club National Ethanol Policy Biodiesel Crop Implementation in Hawaii (pdf) Dr. Stephanie Fried Testimony (Lots of info and links) Cruel Oil: How Palm Oil Harms Health, Rainforest and Wildlife (pdf) If we want to save the environment, we … Read more

Panelists Discuss Haleakala Telescope

Panelists Discuss the Clash of Cultures and Land Ownership on Hawaii’s Sacred Peaks (from the Kilakila O Haleakala website) ‘The law of Aloha is in the land.’ Kealoha Pisciotta Respect for Kanaka Maoli Spiritual Practices Panelists explained that from a kanaka maoli perspective, the summit of Haleakala is considered ‘wao akua,’or the realm of the gods. The very lands of Haleakala are seen by many as the kinolau (physical manifestation) of the sacred goddess Pele, a … Read more

Hawaiian Opposition to Telescope

Panelists Discuss the Clash of Cultures and Land Ownership on Hawaii’s Sacred Peaks (from the Kilakila O Haleakala website) ‘The law of Aloha is in the land.’ Kealoha Pisciotta Respect for Kanaka Maoli Spiritual Practices Panelists explained that from a kanaka maoli perspective, the summit of Haleakala is considered ‘wao akua,’or the realm of the gods. The very lands of Haleakala are seen by many as the kinolau (physical manifestation) of the sacred goddess Pele, … Read more

Open Ocean Aquaculture

The Project: Hawaii Ocean Technology’s (HOT) has been granted a Conservation District Use Application for its ahi aquaculture project. They plan to use 247 acres off the north Kohala coast of the island of Hawaii to hold 12 orb-like cages for growing tuna for export outside of Hawai’i. Read why ten eminent scientists recommend against instituting aquaculture fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico The Problems: Fish Farming promotes the proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which can … Read more