State briefs for September 1

Visitor spending jumps nearly 10 percent in July

HONOLULU (AP) — The Hawaii Tourism Authority says spending by visitors jumped nearly 10 percent last month compared to a year earlier.

The agency said Thursday that travelers spent $1.6 billion in July. The number of travelers climbed almost 7 percent to more than 890,000.

The addition of seats on flights from Dallas and Minneapolis helped boost the figures.

The state is on course to mark a sixth consecutive year of record visitor arrivals.

HTA CEO George Szigeti says he recognizes some residents have concerns about how the growth of tourism affects life in the islands. He says the industry is striving to achieve a balance for the good of everyone.

The agency plans to discuss sustainable tourism during its summit next month in Honolulu. Szigeti is encouraging residents to register and participate.

Agency approves plan for bombing practice off Kauai

LIHUE, Kauai (AP) — The National Marine Fisheries Service approved a five-year U.S. Air Force plan for bombing practice at sea off Kauai.

The plan reduces the munitions used and increases monitoring for impacts to whales and dolphins.

Earthjustice attorney David Henkin, who previously criticized the plan as not doing enough to protect marine mammals, said Tuesday the Air Force “did beef up the monitoring, which is a positive development.”

Monitoring measures will include delaying exercises if a marine animal is observed within an exclusion zone to avoid exposure to levels of explosives likely to result in injury or death, and shifting the target site as far as possible from an observed marine mammal’s location.

The Air Force said it needs the annual at-sea training at Kauai’s Pacific Missile Range Facility until Aug. 20, 2022, because of unspecified national security threats with increased air-to-surface exercises directed by the Pentagon.

The impact area is approximately 50 miles off Kauai in waters 15,000 feet deep.

A “finding of no significant impact” signed by the Fisheries Service on Aug. 11 said that in 2017 training would only occur on one day and include eight small-diameter bombs.

“In future years, the number (and) type of munitions are reduced by 40 percent with a maximum of four days of training occurring over a five-day time period,” the finding said.

Between 38 and 64 weapons would be released annually between 2018 and 2021.

The training for 2018 through 2022 would be conducted on weekdays between June and August, or September through November.

Guam residents protest planned firing range

HAGNATA, Guam (AP) — Guam residents who oppose the U.S. military’s plan for a new live-fire range protested Tuesday in front of the governor’s office.

Dozens of protesters held signs saying, “Not your target practice” and “Death by firing range.”

The military announced last week it awarded Black Construction Corp. a $78 million contract to build a firing range on land the community says is one of the last pristine places on the U.S. territory.

The range is being built for incoming Marines. One of its surface danger zones is near Ritidian, an area a local group called Prutehi Litekyan is fighting to protect.

The group wants the land to remain untouched to safeguard cultural and historical artifacts throughout the area. It also argues that the firing range complex will disrupt the habitat of some of Guam’s native species.

The range can’t be built without restoration plans, according to the Naval Facilities Engineering Command.

Steps will be taken to minimize harm to the environment around the firing ranges, including the handling of cultural artifacts, the command said.

“This deliberate focus on protection and restoration is consistent with our commitment to the One Guam and Green Guam pillars set forth by the Secretary of the Navy in the Marine Corps relocation to Guam,” Command Capt. Stephanie Jones said.

Small quake rumbles in Ka‘u

HAWAIIAN OCEAN VIEW ESTATES (AP) — A magnitude-3.8 earthquake rumbled earlier this week on the Big Island.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the earthquake hit at 3:52 p.m. Tuesday. Its epicenter was about 6 miles northeast of Hawaiian Ocean View Estates in Ka‘u.

The earthquake had a depth of 6.8 miles.

Magnitude-5.2 earthquake hits coast of Guam

INARAJAN VILLAGE, Guam (AP) — A magnitude-5.2 earthquake struck Guam earlier this week.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the earthquake hit at 8 a.m. Wednesday. The epicenter was 51.7 miles southeast of Inarajan Village, a community of about 2,300 people.

The earthquake had a depth of 6 miles.