Thursday, October 21, 2010
Where is the Analysis?
By Henry Curtis
Civil Beat published “Aiona's Shades of Blue: Energy and Sustainability” on October 21, 2010.
The article has a small section for the public and a much larger section for subscribers only.
The quotes cited below are from the Duke-Finnegan Campaign 2010 and from a Governor Lingle PR press release. They are all available on the web.
These quotes (except the last one) also appeared in the Civil Beat article.
Duke Aiona and Lynn Finnegan for 2010: “Through the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative, Aiona was part of an administration that launched what his campaign calls the state's ‘transformation from the nation's most fossil fuel-dependent state into a worldwide energy leader.’"
THE FACTS: The Governor, DBEDT, DCCA and HECO signed the HCEI Agreement. At the time of signing, clean energy was not defined. The Agreement called for Expedited and Automatic Approval of Permits, “federal tax support for biofuels ...including crude palm oil,” expanding geothermal, adopting very costly “smart grid” technology without public analysis, eliminating the EPA’s Regional Haze Rules for HECO’s power plants, allow HECO to switch from petroleum to biofuels without triggering EPA’s New Source Review, a preference for incentives and market-based measures over regulatory penalties for greenhouse gas emissions, building new centralized power plants over Distributed Generation, and building a biomass facility in a residential area (Hu Honua).
Governor Lingle Press Release (January 27, 2010): "To date 34 dockets related to clean energy development are active before the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), including historic and 'game-changing' dockets establishing feed-in tariffs"
THE FACTS: The PUC adopted a Feed-in Tariff solution that is so modest it was opposed by DBEDT and all renewable energy companies and environmental groups during the regulatory proceeding. Probably all these groups believe that decision is better than nothing.
Governor Lingle Press Release (January 27, 2010): "Hawai'i residents used 8 percent less energy per-capita in 2008 than 2007”
THE FACTS: Hawai`i was in an economic recession in 2008 and the price for a barrel of oil peaked near $140. HECO's Robbie Alm said it was a wake up call to the utility.
Governor Lingle Press Release (January 27, 2010): “A landmark agreement between HECO, Castle & Cooke, and First Wind in March 2009 initiated wind energy projects on the islands of Lāna'i and Moloka'i, where wind resources are the most abundant."
THE FACTS: The landmark agreement is designed to industrialize Moloka`i and Lana`i in order to power O`ahu via building an expensive and unneeded undersea cable instead of relying on Distributed Generation.
Governor Lingle Press Release (January 27, 2010): "The development of an undersea cable between Maui County and O'ahu that would transport renewable energy from where it is more abundant to where it's needed most."
THE FACTS: Does Moloka`i really have more sunlight, more wind, and more waves than O`ahu?
A quote that did not appear in Civil Beat is the following:
Duke Aiona and Lynn Finnegan for 2010: "Duke Aiona’s target — a very “do-able” target — is that Hawai‘i will generate more of its energy from clean, local sources by 2018 than it gets from foreign oil. ...Furthermore, because he recognizes that there may be additional costs in the short run, Duke Aiona will ensure that Hawai‘i families, especially working families and small businesses, benefit from lower energy costs. As Governor, Duke Aiona will require that clean energy policies pass a rigorous cost-benefit analysis before the Public Utilities Commission. ...Hawai‘i’s transition to a clean energy economy ...will require billions of dollars of investment in energy efficiency, renewable generation, a modern electricity grid and transportation."
Stop drinking the Kool Aid, start questioning facts and assumptions, and ask questions !
Are blue, green, liberal, and mainstream Democratic values the same thing?
Are red, conservative, mainstream Republican values, and Tea Party values the same thing?
Are we all both red and blue?
Are those Kanaka Maoli who favor independence “red” for opposing the Akaka bill?
Is increased centralization and greater monopolistic control red or blue?
Is the use of palm oil biodiesel a red, blue, green or black solution?
Is automatic approval of green permits red, blue, both or neither?
Henry Curtis
ililani.media@gmail.com
# # #
Civil Beat published “Aiona's Shades of Blue: Energy and Sustainability” on October 21, 2010.
The article has a small section for the public and a much larger section for subscribers only.
The quotes cited below are from the Duke-Finnegan Campaign 2010 and from a Governor Lingle PR press release. They are all available on the web.
These quotes (except the last one) also appeared in the Civil Beat article.
Duke Aiona and Lynn Finnegan for 2010: “Through the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative, Aiona was part of an administration that launched what his campaign calls the state's ‘transformation from the nation's most fossil fuel-dependent state into a worldwide energy leader.’"
THE FACTS: The Governor, DBEDT, DCCA and HECO signed the HCEI Agreement. At the time of signing, clean energy was not defined. The Agreement called for Expedited and Automatic Approval of Permits, “federal tax support for biofuels ...including crude palm oil,” expanding geothermal, adopting very costly “smart grid” technology without public analysis, eliminating the EPA’s Regional Haze Rules for HECO’s power plants, allow HECO to switch from petroleum to biofuels without triggering EPA’s New Source Review, a preference for incentives and market-based measures over regulatory penalties for greenhouse gas emissions, building new centralized power plants over Distributed Generation, and building a biomass facility in a residential area (Hu Honua).
Governor Lingle Press Release (January 27, 2010): "To date 34 dockets related to clean energy development are active before the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), including historic and 'game-changing' dockets establishing feed-in tariffs"
THE FACTS: The PUC adopted a Feed-in Tariff solution that is so modest it was opposed by DBEDT and all renewable energy companies and environmental groups during the regulatory proceeding. Probably all these groups believe that decision is better than nothing.
Governor Lingle Press Release (January 27, 2010): "Hawai'i residents used 8 percent less energy per-capita in 2008 than 2007”
THE FACTS: Hawai`i was in an economic recession in 2008 and the price for a barrel of oil peaked near $140. HECO's Robbie Alm said it was a wake up call to the utility.
Governor Lingle Press Release (January 27, 2010): “A landmark agreement between HECO, Castle & Cooke, and First Wind in March 2009 initiated wind energy projects on the islands of Lāna'i and Moloka'i, where wind resources are the most abundant."
THE FACTS: The landmark agreement is designed to industrialize Moloka`i and Lana`i in order to power O`ahu via building an expensive and unneeded undersea cable instead of relying on Distributed Generation.
Governor Lingle Press Release (January 27, 2010): "The development of an undersea cable between Maui County and O'ahu that would transport renewable energy from where it is more abundant to where it's needed most."
THE FACTS: Does Moloka`i really have more sunlight, more wind, and more waves than O`ahu?
A quote that did not appear in Civil Beat is the following:
Duke Aiona and Lynn Finnegan for 2010: "Duke Aiona’s target — a very “do-able” target — is that Hawai‘i will generate more of its energy from clean, local sources by 2018 than it gets from foreign oil. ...Furthermore, because he recognizes that there may be additional costs in the short run, Duke Aiona will ensure that Hawai‘i families, especially working families and small businesses, benefit from lower energy costs. As Governor, Duke Aiona will require that clean energy policies pass a rigorous cost-benefit analysis before the Public Utilities Commission. ...Hawai‘i’s transition to a clean energy economy ...will require billions of dollars of investment in energy efficiency, renewable generation, a modern electricity grid and transportation."
Stop drinking the Kool Aid, start questioning facts and assumptions, and ask questions !
Are blue, green, liberal, and mainstream Democratic values the same thing?
Are red, conservative, mainstream Republican values, and Tea Party values the same thing?
Are we all both red and blue?
Are those Kanaka Maoli who favor independence “red” for opposing the Akaka bill?
Is increased centralization and greater monopolistic control red or blue?
Is the use of palm oil biodiesel a red, blue, green or black solution?
Is automatic approval of green permits red, blue, both or neither?
Henry Curtis
ililani.media@gmail.com
# # #
Comments:
You and I sat next to each other in those HCEI meetings. Duke Aiona never showed up, and wouldn't have understood the proceedings had he been there. As with other issues, he has no grasp of what he's talking about.
Imagine Finnegan trying to make sense out of what Duke says.
Doc
<< Home
You and I sat next to each other in those HCEI meetings. Duke Aiona never showed up, and wouldn't have understood the proceedings had he been there. As with other issues, he has no grasp of what he's talking about.
Imagine Finnegan trying to make sense out of what Duke says.
Doc
<< Home
Post a Comment
Requiring those Captcha codes at least temporarily, in the hopes that it quells the flood of comment spam I've been receiving.