Oppose Kenoi’s plan ADVERTISING Oppose Kenoi’s plan We have two power plants on this island that are either being proposed or in construction. One is Mayor Billy Kenoi’s proposed trash-to-energy plant, which would burn at least 95,000 tons of garbage
Oppose Kenoi’s plan
We have two power plants on this island that are either being proposed or in construction.
One is Mayor Billy Kenoi’s proposed trash-to-energy plant, which would burn at least 95,000 tons of garbage a year and produce an unspecified amount of electricity to be sold to HELCO.
An identical proposal was debated at length some years ago and finally defeated by the then sitting County Council in 2008.
Some of the identical opposition is now being voiced by a member of the current County Council: cost, pollution and so forth. One of the finalists for the RFP states that they use advanced pollution controls that even exceed those required in the U.S.
The second power plant is the so-called Hu Honua in Pepeekeo, which has been under construction off and on since 2005. The plant proposes to burn 250,000 and possibly 350,000 tons of eucalyptus wood annually, and it has an agreement with HELCO to sell electricity if it ever manages to reach operation, although it has had financial difficulties and is now facing numerous lawsuits.
This company has fought advanced pollution controls every inch of the way. The conversion of wood to electricity is highly inefficient because it wastes a major part of the wood instead of making some useful products out of it.
I find it very interesting that not a single elected official has responded to the concerns of local residents about the impact such a massive, continuous emission of toxic pollutants would have on their families and the environment, not to mention the deforestation and the massive amount of heavy trucking on our only highway.
I can only conclude that political advantage can only be gained by opposing the current mayor if one is aspiring to higher office.
Adrienne S. Dey
Hilo
Safe cycling
As a frequent cyclist in Hilo, I sometimes need to give the parked cars to my right plenty of clearance. Why, you ask?
Needing to keep my eye on the street, oftentimes I cannot predict if a driver is going to open a car door in my path. “Getting doored” is no fun; lacerated legs and broken bones can result. By riding in the middle of the street, I am not purposely being rude to drivers. I am practicing safety.
Please forgive me — and other cyclists — who might take up a sizable chunk of the lane in order to keep from getting injured from a drivers’ side door being opened.
Gary Harrold
Hilo
