Ka`u News Briefs Monday, Jan. 23, 2017

A BILL THAT WOULD KEEP UTILITY-SCALE SOLAR FARMS out of residential communities zoned Agriculture passed its first reading in the state House of Representatives today.  

      The bill would modify law that allows solar installations on all Agriculture-zoned land (except land with the best soil) without a county permit. The bill is supported by Ka’u's Rep. Richard Creagan, who has opposed the industrialization of residential communities that are zoned Agriculture in spite of the fact that the subdivisions were created for homes.  

Rep. Richard Creagan is lobbying for a bill to prevent industrialization of neighborhoods, like those in Ocean View where solar farms are planned. Photo from the Office of Rep. Richard Creagan

   Also supporting the bill are Reps. Beth Fukumoto, Cedric Gates, Linda Ichiyama, Sam Kong, Matthew PoPresti, and Gregg Takama.

      The town of Ocean View, the most populous in the Ka`u District, is composed of seven subdivisions, all zoned Agriculture. An estimated 7,000 people live in Ocean View. There are also an estimated 14 non-conforming old subdivisions in the Puna District, which are home to thousands of people. They are termed “non-conforming” because they do not conform to modern subdivision standards and rely on catchment systems for water, and often have substandard roads.

     Most of the subdivisions were created in the 1960s and 1970s when the county and state did not require developers to cover the cost of bringing roads, water and other services to the far-flung homes in sparsely-populated vast areas classified and zoned Agriculture.

     When, in 2008, state legislators and officials embraced the Hawai`i Clean Energy Initiative to free the state from imported oil and coal for energy, they looked for ways to make it easier for photovoltaic developers to build solar installations. It was decided that removing the requirement for   a permit to use agricultural land would be a good idea. After debate as to whether land should be used for food or energy, the law was modified to allow solar farms on ag land.  The impact on neighborhoods located on ag-zoned land was not considered, nor mentioned in documents on file at the legislature for SB 2502 or SB 631 in 2011.

     “This was an unintended consequence of a very well-meaning law,” explained Creagan.  “When legislators talk about ag land, they think of wide open spaces and swathes of unused land. They could not see the downside of removing the permit requirement, as none of them thought of the non-conforming subdivisions we have on the Big Island.”

     “It was not until SPI Solar, an international based in Shanghai, bought up housing lots in Ocean View and were given 26 building and electrical permits to build two-acre solar installations among homes, because the state law allowed them on Ag land, that the unintended consequences became apparent," said Creagan.

     Randy Iwase, Chairman of the PUC, was quoted by the Honolulu Star Advertiser as saying that the FIT program is obsolete because the cost is too high. “Nobody is going to move on the FIT project.  We have suspended any action on the application pending a review or an investigation or resolution of the complaint filed by the Bosteds”. 

      The Consumer Advocate at the time,Jeff Ono, is quoted by the Honolulu Star Advertiser as saying in a filing that he was concerned with the competitive bidding of the FIT projects in Ocean View. Ono worte, It is apparent that the solar project owners effectively 'gamed' the FIT process in order to avoid going through the more rigorous competitive bidding framework.”
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HO`OMALU KA`U, The Ka`u Heritage Center, will hold a Giant Rummage Sale fundraiser on Saturday,  Jan. 28 at Na`alehu Hongwanji from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For sale will be tools, household goods, car parts, artwork, jewelry, collectibles, clothes toys, books, utensils, glass, and more. Funds raised will be used for programs in Ka`u.  Call 929-8526, or email hoomalukau@gmail.com  to donate any items, or with questions about the fundraiser or about Ho`omalu Ka`u.

HOVE ROAD MAINTENANCE BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING. Tuesday, Jan. 24, 10 a.m. at St. Jude's Church 929-9910.

HOW DO HVO GEOLOGISTS TRACK LAVA FLOWS AND LAVA LAKES? A Volcano Awareness Month presentation at After Dark in the Park on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 7 p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist Matt Patrick explains the toolkit he uses and describes how scientists continuously improve their methods of tracking volcanic activity. Free; park entrance fees apply.