Rob Weltman

Whale Day 2020!

The Sierra Club hosted a booth at Whale Day on Feb 8th at Kalama Park in the “Eco-Alley” section of this annual event.  It was a huge success with many participants asking for more information on climate change, water rights issues, agriculture, cultural preservation and much more!  We had an “Eco-stamp bracelet” activity and a Volcanoes National Park coloring activity as well as information on our native endangered Hoary Bat for the keiki to enjoy.  We even enlisted new volunteers … Read more

Sierra Club Benefit Night at Maui Ocean Center

  Thank you to Tapani Vuori, Flip Nicklin, and those who join us for a fantastic “Sierra Club Benefit Night” at the Maui Ocean Center Sphere! We learned, we laughed, and we were inspired by all that was shared of the many years of whale research, underwater photography, and video footage captured by award winning National Geographic photographer Flip Nicklin. You can learn more of the latest research at the upcoming 14th Annual Whale Tales Event hosted by Whale Trust.

Supreme Court Oral Hearings in Lahaina Injection Wells Case November 6, 2019

This is the Supreme Court justices (in black) questioning Mayor Victorino’s lawyers (in red), slightly condensed. Coral reef image courtesy of Caitlin Maratea, owner of Banyan Tree Divers in Lahaina. Elbert Lin Your Honor, I think if it still goes through the groundwater, the — the question under the statute is what is the — what is the conveyance, what is the thing that carries and delivers the pollutants. I think even if it’s forcefully … Read more

Maui Group’s response to Maui County’s intent to file suit against fossil fuel industry

Today, Maui County announced its intent to file a lawsuit to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for their role in the climate crisis. For over fifty years, the fossil fuel industry knew that their products—oil, gas and coal—would cause detrimental impacts to the world’s climate. Instead of acting for the greater good, the industry doubled down on production and spent millions on alternative science and misinformation campaigns.  In response to Maui County’s announcement, the … Read more

Again, the Fish and Wildlife Service lets the Hawaiian Hoary Bat down

The federal Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) looked at the request from four wind farms on three Hawaiian islands to drastically increase the number of opeʻapeʻa (Hawaiian Hoary Bats) “taken” during their project lifetimes. It considered three options: No changes to the existing Habitat Conservation Plans. The wind farm operators would have to live within their committed limits on “take”. Auwahi is already past its estimated 25-year “take” and Kahewawa II is getting close. The … Read more