‘Dangerous, ignorant’
I was appalled to read the article in Tuesday’s paper about Councilman Kaneali‘i‘-Kleinfelder’s social media posts (Tribune-Herald, Jan. 18).
Clearly, he has been listening to right-wing media, repeating the same old misinformation about COVID-19, claiming that unnamed doctors provided it to him. No legitimate doctor would stand by his statements.
He claims there is more than one side to the nature of the virus and treatment, but there is only one side, the side of science. Do we really want such a dangerous, ignorant person in public office?
And that question applies to any politician who repeats the same lies.
Karen Cooper
Hilo
Puna and PGV
We write in response to Mr. Allan Dougherty’s letter, “Geothermal works,” (Tribune-Herald, Jan. 12).
The Big Island certainly has volcanic heat as a potential energy resource 24/7 as Mr. Dougherty states, but to use this highly powerful source with true safety and legal compliance is a challenge that at this time, sadly, is not being met.
The geothermal plant, now generating electricity that is sold to Hawaiian Electric, does not have an up-to-date EIS (environmental impact statement) that is necessary for full legal compliance. The original EIS was issued back in the 1980s and thus is grossly out of date, especially after the volcanic eruption of 2018.
The Public Utilities Commission has stated that the geothermal plant in Puna needs to update its environmental impact report, but that requirement has been shunted off to Hawaii County, where there is some reticence in taking it on — not surprising, since this is really not their job. Meanwhile, geothermal production in Puna goes on.
Hawaiian Electric has not ignored this huge 24/7 resource on the Big Island. It has tried many times to expand geothermal power in Puna. For years, the thought of cables to Oahu and Maui have been proposed, but none of these ideas have borne fruit.
This is because geothermal energy generation is a risky and possibly deadly endeavor, requiring impeccable compliance to a set of well-drawn guidelines based on the most recent technological and health findings, and such stringent guidelines necessary for full safety are lacking in our state government.
If you check closely, you will find that the productive geothermal power of Iceland is not based close to a residential community as is Puna Geothermal Venture, the only geothermal plant on the Big Island. While we are supportive of geothermal energy as a strategy to combat climate change, the technology for this powerful resource must be safe and closely monitored, which at this point in time is not the case in Hawaii.
You think that producing manganese and aluminum in Puna would be some sort of benefit to us who live here. Puna is not an industrial community, and you might find that the population of Puna, growing every year, might differ with your vision of our future.
Andrea Rosanoff and Steve Sparks
Pahoa