I’ve exhausted myself today getting our taxes figured out, forms completed, and finally into the mail. I made it, but it was touch and go for a while.
So now I’m relaxing while watching the confirmation hearing for Bill Balfour, who Gov. David Ige has nominated to another term on the State Water Commission.
There’s been a lot of strong support expressed for Balfour, who has a long resume reflecting his experience first with water from the perspective of plantation agriculture, and his later career in public service in several positions in the city.
But the hearing again displays the growing maturity and cohesiveness of the environmental community, and the growing alliance between Hawaiian and environmental community organizations. They’ve also again shown their ability to mobilize their supporters on relatively short notice with smart use of social media.
At this point, I’m agnostic on Balfour’s confirmation, but find the growing ability of environmental activists to articulate their vision in ways that increasingly strengthen and extend their coalitions of greater long-term interest.
I think it was Alan Murakami, an attorney with the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, who pointed out in his oral testimony that a key structural issue is that in this age of global warming and increasing global water shortages, we may be at the point where the water commission needs to be professionalized to a greater degree, along the lines of the Public Utilities Commission. The issue are increasingly technical, with complex scientific and legal issues involved at each step. That’s a point that deserves highlighting.
Meanwhile, I lifted this list of resources relating to the Mauna Kea controversy that was being circulated on a UH email list. There are items here from a variety of perspectives.
Puhipau, et al., 2005, “Mauna Kea: Temple Under Siege” (57 minutes)
UHM Sinclair Library AV Center – DVD 2902
Trailer Mauna Kea – Temple Under Siege (TRAILER)
Fox, Chole, 2015 (April 13), “Everything You Need To Know About The Viral Protests Against A Hawaii Telescope,” The Huffington Post
Mauna Kea – from mountain to sea
Sacred Mauna Kea – Ka Makahiapo Kapu Na W?kea
Hitt, Christine, “The Sacredness of Mauna Kea Explained,” Mana Magazine
Kahea – The Hawaiian-Environmental AllianceCoriell, Bruce, Indigenous Religious Traditions – Mauna Kea
Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawai`i
Sponsel, Leslie E., 2015 (April 9), “Sacred places are an integral part of the human condition,” Honolulu Star Advertiser, p. A13.Petition – Protect Mauna Kea: Stop Further Development and Stop the University of Hawaii’s Lease Renewal for Mauna Kea’s Public Lands! MoveOn.org
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With the nomination of Balfour, looks like its back to diverting the public’s water for private developers and corporations gain. Can’t teach an old dog new tricks and its unlikely he will change at this point.
Civil Beat is saying that there were fewer people showing up. Since the neighbor islands are in the spotlight for water cases (East Maui Streams, Maui’s Na Wai Eha, Big Island’s Keauhou aquifer) I think we can blame this on people having to work and transportation costs being very high. We need video testimony!
I think Ian, you will change your mind on Balfour when you consider his answers to the Committee’s questions.
When asked about climate change he replied that fossil fuels are burning up the ozone (!!) When asked about the 100 year history of streams (whether they were intermittent or diverted and no longer flowing to the sea). He answered that he had only been around for 83 years and so didn’t really know. When asked about a steam in Maui that no longer reaches the ocean, he answered that “sand hills” (dunes) blocked the the passage of the water to the ocean and he didn’t know what to do about that.
HOLY TOLEDO! We thought Ching was ill-informed!!!!
I left Balfour’s answers unexplained assuming anyone over the age of 12 knows how nonsensical and WRONG his answers are but just in in case:
1. Chlorine compounds are responsible for ozone depletion – not fossil fuels. And while depleting the ozone layer is harmful because more UV falls on living creatures, it is NOT the main cause of Climate Change. So double wrong, Bill.
2. Streams have been diverted to sugar plantations as far back as the mid 1800s but the wholesale diversion of entire streams came about in the early 1900s. THAT is what has changed streamflow and lessened or stopped it. And since Bill worked 39 years for the various plantations who were doing this, his answer that he doesn’t know is pretty darn suspicious. Somehow I doubt he could work 4 decades diverting water from streams and not know that this changed their water character!!!
3. And as to Wailuku Stream on Maui, that is downright hilarious. First off sand is porous so it isn’t going to block water. Second off stream flow clears out sand at the mouth of the stream. And third, he knows perfectly well that the plantations he ran diverted the water LONG before they reached the sea so he is being a BIG FAT LIAR – or else is really mentally deficient.
I’ve signed the petition opposing Balfour.
I do want to comment on your exhaustion after completing your taxes. Thank goodness there was a confirmation hearing to help you relax!
I’ve used Turbo Tax for several years, and I think it’s a big help. But I just read a fascinating article in the New York Times about proposals for the IRS to use available technology that would fill out our tax forms for us. Of course, the company that makes Turbo Tax has spent millions lobbying against proposals like this that would eliminate the need for tax preparation software.
Here’s the link to the NYT article I cited:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/16/technology/personaltech/turbotax-or-irs-as-tax-preparer-intuit-has-a-favorite.html?emc=edit_ct_20150416&nl=technology&nlid=9301690
New information from the hearing shows that there is some disfunction in the Water Commission that is no single past Commissioners fault. Over time due to technical defects five of the Commission rulings have been overturned by the courts. What the Commission needs more technically oriented people who are experts in public water policy, natural water systems, science and law. That is a long term reform, but for now the opportunity is to appoint a four year Commissioner who meets those standards. Mr. Balfour is not any of those technical people. By not recommending him for confirmation by the Senate, the WTL Committee is admitting the need to act sooner than later to make that shift and using the available opportunity to find the person with the right advanced skill sets. Of course we need not look far since Professor Denise Antolini was available. But she only got a two month extension. Hmmm.
Prof Antolini is best left on the sidelines, available when an academics viewpoint is required.
Water is simple, forecasting the future is ridiculously complex.
Keep it simple, deal with the realities in front of you, make your best decisions based on empirical evidence. That’s best done by people who live in the “real” world….leave the academics and esoterics to comment from the periphery, they won’t do much harm from there.
“Water is simple, forecasting the future is ridiculously complex.
“Keep it simple, deal with the realities in front of you, make your best decisions based on empirical evidence. That’s best done by people who live in the “real” world….leave the academics and esoterics to comment from the periphery, they won’t do much harm from there.”
That’s what they used to say in Nevada and California.
This is the geographic reality that politicians don’t know about:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Average_precipitation_in_the_lower_48_states_of_the_USA.png
The harsh reality that politicians face is that in order to get re-elected, they need to make all the big players (corporations, labor unions, bureaucrats) happy . But that does not necessarily make for realistic policy.