All aboard the Superferry Express!

While most news media focused on Honolulu Mayor Hannemann’s announcement of a labor agreement that will prevent strikes during the construction phase of Honolulu’s proposed rail system, Star-Bulletin reporter Gary Kubota jumped on the more important news of the signing of the first phase construction contract.

Signing the contract was a calculated political move by Mayor Hannemann to forestall any legislative raid on the excise tax revenues held in the city’s special transit fund, according to Kubota’s story.

But the rail EIS is still undergoing federal review, and by signing the contract before a final Environmental Impact Statement has been approved and a so-called “Record of Decision” received, the rail project could become ineligible for otherwise available federal funding.

Although the Star-Bulletin story does not mention the federal funding issue directly, it does warn that Hannemann’s wild rush ahead does risk a Superferry-like outcome.

But Hannemann is putting the rail on a fast track, even though the environmental impact statement for the project still has not received state and federal approval.

Hannemann said he is hoping to break ground for construction in January, and he has not received any indication there is a problem with the city’s environmental impact statement. He said he would emphasize one point to those reviewing the document: “People want this project and they want it now.”

State Sen. Colleen Hanabusa said state and federal officials review the environmental impact statement based on law and whether it provides enough information to make a decision and not on politics.

“It’s not wise to belittle a process that’s very much a part of our law,” she said.

Hanabusa said whether one supports or opposes rail, people do not want to be in the same situation as the Hawaii Superferry, a project halted due to the lack of an adequate environmental impact statement.

What is that?

“People want this project and they want it now.”

Was there an “or else!” threat implied there? I’m not at all clear what the mayor thinks he was saying.

Time to look for some additional clarification of the legal implications on the possibility of federal funding of proceeding before a Record of Decision has been received.

By the way, I spent some time looking for more info on the bids for this contract and didn’t see them in the city’s system.