Protecting and Preserving Maui Nui’s Environment & Important Cultural Sites for Over 40 Years

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

West Maui Reefs Horribly Degraded

These underwater pictures from the reef off of Kahekili Beach Park show the extent of the damage suffered in the last several years. Runoff, global warming and El Nino events have added to the attack on this precious and irreplaceable resource, but a significant contributor is the release of treated wastewater high in nitrogen and phosphorous through the Lahaina injection wells. These “nutrients” stimulate the growth of algae that smother the corals. Despite the scientific … Read more

Maui County Council petitioned to settle Lahaina injection wells case

August 28, 2019 #injectionwells #maui #petition A petition with 15,962 names was handed over to Maui County Council Chair Kelly King this morning, asking the County to settle the Lahaina injection wells case rather than pursue it to the Supreme Court, and to invest in eliminating ocean pollution instead of continued litigation. A large banner had a small photo taken in the waters off Kahekili Beach Park (where treated wastewater is released) for each of … Read more