Ka‘ū News Briefs, Thursday, December 12, 2019

The Hour of Code welcomed students at Pāhala Elementary to the world of computer science today. See more below. Photo by Katie Graham

THE VOTE TO IMPEACH PRES. DONALD TRUMP was delayed tonight by the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, following a marathon 13-hour debate.
     Sen. Brian Schatz tweeted "LOL. Republicans are angry about working on Friday." The vote could be delayed until Monday, with more debate expected to follow party lines on Friday. Trump is the fourth U.S. President to face articles of impeachment. Should the House vote to impeach him, the measure would go to the U.S. Senate for a trial.

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through coding. SPED teacher, Rebecca Spinner, said, "This event helped spark interest in coding and computer science, as well as allowed students the opportunity to try creative and innovative problem-solving approaches."
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HELPING RURAL BUSINESSES WITH ENERGY EFFICIENCY is the goal of a new program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Donald "DJ" LaVoy announced this week that the USDA is investing $165.4 million to help farmers, agriculture producers, and rural-based businesses lower energy costs. USDA will provide 621 awards to applicants in all 50 states, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the Western Pacific. USDA is providing the funding through the Rural Energy for America Program.

     Said LaVoy, "Businesses grow and create more jobs when their energy costs are lower. Reduced power costs also make American businesses more competitive in world markets. Pres. Trump and Agriculture Secretary Perdue are committed to making it possible for rural businesses to thrive because when rural Americaprospers, all of Americaprospers."

     Brenda Iokepa-Moses, of Pāhala, who took charge of the Hawaiʻi, Western Pacific, and American Samoan USDA State Directorship in September, said there are numerous beneficiaries who would qualify for the program. "I would like to see Hawaiʻi and the Western Pacific take a bigger piece of the pie and encourage local farmers, agricultural producers and rural based businesses to apply for this grant and take advantage of this amazing opportunity."

Brenda Iokepa-Moses. Photo from USDA

     Recipients can use REAP funding for energy audits and to install renewable energy systems such as biomass, geothermal, hydropower, and solar. The funding can also be used to increase energy efficiency by making improvements to heating, ventilation, and cooling systems; insulation; and lighting and refrigeration.

     Reducing energy costs can significantly improve a business' bottom line, according to the statement from USDA. Solar equipment was used by 90,000 farms in 2017, three times the number using solar panels in 2012, states the agency.

     In April 2017, Trump established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to identify legislative, regulatory, and policy changes that could promote agriculture and prosperity in rural communities. In January 2018, Perdue presented the Task Force's findings to Trump. These findings included 31 recommendations to align the federal government with state, local, and tribal governments to take advantage of opportunities that exist in rural America. Supporting the rural workforce was a cornerstone recommendation of the task force.

     View the report in its entirety at Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity. View the categories of the recommendations at Rural Prosperity infographic. For more information on the REAP, or to request application materials, contact USDS Business Programs Specialist Jeffrey Wardell, (808) 933-8316 or Jeffrey.wardell@usda.gov.

     USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.

A FORK IN THE ROAD DECISION is ahead for Hawaiʻi Electric Industries – parent company of Hawaiʻi Electric Light Co., Maui Electric, and Oʻahu's Hawaiʻi Electric Company – according to  Hiloenergy professional Marco Mangelsdorf.  In an op-ed for Honolulu Star Advertiser this week, he wrote, "It is time for a shake-up."
     Mangelsdorf, President of ProVision Solar, warned that Hawaiʻi people and Hawaiʻi Electric Industries are at a "proverbial fork in the road" to choose between "status quo execs" or look outside the company for "new game-changer leaders."

Marco Mangelsdorf

     According to ValueAct Capital, a major investor in HEI, Hawaiʻi residents have paid 280 percent more for electricity per kilowatt hour than the U.S. average over the past ten years. ValueAct CEO Jeffrey Ubben recently wrote: "This is due in part to the use of costly outdated petroleum-fired plants that are now virtually extinct on the mainland."

     Mangelsdorf wrote, "Are we doing enough to adequately move the needle of our clean energy transformation? And is Hawaiian Electric up to the task?

     "Sadly, I have to conclude we are not moving fast enough, and that, despite the difficulty in calling out those people I've come to like and respect, the Hawaiian Electric companies have not been up to the challenges of what needs to be done.

     "The fundamental question: Have HEI and its utilities led the way in stabilizing electric costs and bringing online cost-effective renewable energies, or have they been pushed, prodded and pulled to do so? I believe that a stronger case can be made for the latter. 

     "Going back to at least the early 2000s, successive Public Utilities Commissions under the leadership of Carl Caliboso, Mina Morita, Randy Iwase and now Jay Griffin have expressed concerns over HECO and its subsidiaries' relative inability to adequately control costs.

     "In fact, HECO's August filing for another rate increase prompted the ordering of an unprecedented management audit of the company. And last month, the commission, in another unusual move, declined to provide any interim increase in response to HELCO's December 2018 application for a base rate rise.

     "In 2011, Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative was about 14 percent renewable; this year, KIUC will be over 50 percent and expects to reach 80 percent no later than 2025. In 2011, the consolidated renewable tally for the five islands of Hawaiian Electric was 12 percent. In 2015, it was 23 percent; in 2016, 26 percent, in 2017, 27 percent, in 2018, 27 percent, with this year looking to be about the same," said Mangelsdorf, adding, "Case in point: Hawaiian Electric issued a request for proposals for adding utility-scale energy storage more than five years ago but to date, has practically little to nothing to show for it."