Ka‘ū News Briefs, Thursday, July 9, 2020

THE COUNTY OF HAWAIʻI WILL RECEIVE $80 MILLION ON FEDERAL CORONAVIRUS AID, Relief, and Economic Security Act funding. The County announced today it is moving quickly "to get these critical dollars into our community to provide financial assistance during the COVID-19 emergency." To help manage financial recovery programs, the County will release a Request for Proposals this Sunday, July 12 at hawaiicounty.gov/cares.
     To answer potential applicant questions, the County will hold a webinar on Monday, July 13 from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. To sign up for the webinar, or to submit questions in advance, visit hawaiicounty.gov/cares.
     Non-profits, financial institutions, and other management organizations with the ability to deliver direct services or sub-awards to communities, businesses, and individuals are invited to apply. Applicants can be non-profit or for-profit entities with the capacity to receive grant awards starting from $250,000 to more than $2 million. Funds must be distributed to the community no later than
Dec. 30, 2020. Contractors must comply with all federal and state CARES Act guidelines.

So far, Boys and Girls Club Big Island handed out more than 52,000 hot meals during the pandemic. Photo from BGCBI

     Individuals and individual businesses are ineligible if seeking to address only their own needs. Assistance being sought for this purpose will be addressed through the selected non-profits, financial institutions, or other management organizations awarded contracts through this RFP. Programs addressed in the RFP include:
     Food Assistance - Grants to nonprofits to purchase local farm produce, distribute to restaurants for meal preparation and delivery of meals to vulnerable families and other food need allocations. $3,992,000
     Childcare - Grants to licensed childcare providers to support expansion of operations and incentives for new childcare providers; supplies including sanitation, disinfecting supplies, foggers, UV lights, and temperature scanners. $2,500,000
     Community and Family Resilience – Grants to support new and existing social-related, health and wellness programs that build resilient communities through building capacity, supporting the creation and strengthening of relationships that build social capital and foster cooperation and trust. $4,000,000
     Connectivity Enhancement - Grants for micro-transmitters and tablets to support remote telework, businesses, and education. $1,000,000
     Business and Nonprofit Assistance - Grants to support financial obligations including but not limited to rent, leases, mortgage, vehicle leases, master supply agreements, and non-governmental utilities and reopening costs. $22,000,000
     Individual Grants to Prevent Housing Displacement – Grants to provide unduplicated monetary assistance for rent, leases, mortgages, and non-governmental utilities to households directly impacted by COVID-19. $10,000,000
     For more details on these programs, visit hawaiicounty.gov/cares. Applications for the RFP are due by Tuesday, July 21 at 4:30 p.m. by electronic submission.

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The Hū Honua bioenergy plant is nearly complete, but the PUC ruled that it must compete for a permit with other renewable energy proposals. Photo from Hū Honua

THE PUC TODAY REJECTED HŪ HONUA'S AGREEMENT TO SELL ELECTRICITY TO HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC. The bioenergy company proposed to create up to 21.5 megawatts that could provide about 14.5 percent of the electrical needs for Hawaiʻi Island and displace some 250,000 barrels of imported oil per year. Its proposal proclaimed many benefits to the environment while opponents objected to burning wood for energy and claimed possible pollution of the ocean.
     In its oceanfront Hāmākua energy plant, Hū Honua would burn wood chips from eucalyptus grown on Kamehameha Schools land around Pāhala and other tree farms around the island. The state Public Utilities Commission ruled that, instead of accepting the Hawaiian Electric contract, it would allow Hū Honua to compete with other proposed renewable energy projects.
     Hū Honua attorneys Dean and Wil Yamamoto responded to the PUC ruling, saying that further delay in opening the biofuel plant threatens more than 50 jobs on this island. "Hū Honua has invested well over $350 million to develop the Project, and the monthly carrying costs are approximately $2.6 million. Accordingly, each month of Project delay results in additional cost impacts and further jeopardizes existing jobs, project financing, and all of Hū Honua's investments."
     The PUC issued Order No. 37205 today that denies Hawaiian Electric's request for a Waiver from Competitive Bidding for the Hū Honua Biomass Project, making its Power Purchase Agreement with Hū Honua void. In its decision, the PUC noted "recent developments," including 30 MW projects with lower prices for renewable energy – from $0.08 per kilowatt hour to $0.12/kWh. Hū Honua pricing for 21.5 MW is estimated at $0.221/kWh.
     Instead of the Hū Honua proposal, the PUC recently approved Hawaiʻi Island projects AES Waikoloa Solar, LLC at $0.08/kWh and Hale Kuawehi Solar, LLC at $0.09/kWh.

     The PUC stated that the main reason Hawaiian Electric requested the Hū Honua competitive bidding waiver was to prevent further delay that would affect receiving a federal Investment Tax Credit, that would make the Hū Honua project "cost effective." The original deadline for the project to produce energy in order to receive the tax credit was in 2018.

Hū Honua proposed biomass, including eucalyptus grown around Pāhala,  as one of the renewable energy sources for Hawaiʻi Island. The PUC  ruled today that it must compete with wind, solar, and others for permit approvals. Photo from Hū Honua

     Hū Honua has faced other delays, including the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court vacating the PUC's approval of a purchase agreement with Hawaiian Electric in May of 2019. The case was brought to the court by Life of the Land, and its executive director, which contended that the PUC failed to consider greenhouse gas emissions in determining whether to approve the agreement. Today's PUC ruling, however, stated that the PUC does not make conclusions on the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions associated with the project, but whether the project is the best option at this time for affordable energy.
     The PUC said that biomass resources could have a place in Hawaiʻi's renewable energy portfolio. "The Commission is aware that biomass resources offer different considerations than other renewable resources, such as solar and wind, but believes that these distinctions are better weighed and addressed in the context of the Competitive Bidding Framework."

     Read more at ililani.media/2020/07/puc-rejects-hu-honua.html
and honuaolabioenergy.com.

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FOOD SAFETY RED PLACARDS for COVID-19 violations for food establishments that do not take physical distancing and other guidance seriously are in place. Dept. of Health's Food Safety Branch announced Thursday it will begin to temporarily suspend the operations of restaurants, bars, and other food establishments that don't comply with physical distancing, wearing cloth face masks, and other required guidance. Under existing state law, DOH inspectors can temporarily shut down a food establishment if its practices pose a danger to public health by spreading the virus that causes COVID-19.

     Using the familiar color-coded placard system, DOH will issue red placards to these food establishments. DOH Director Dr. Bruce Anderson said, "The department is taking these steps now to enforce preventive measures that are known to be effective in preventing the transmission of the disease, especially as we have seen a recent increase in the number of COVID cases and evidence of community spread. Most food establishments in Hawaiʻi are conscientious and trying their best to comply with health guidance. Nevertheless, we feel these steps are necessary to assure all restaurants and other food establishments are doing everything they can to protect the health of the public and their employees."

     DOH's Food Safety Branch Chief Peter Oshiro said, "As Hawaiʻi reopens and moves toward economic recovery, no one wants to see a restaurant temporarily close and miss out on opportunities to serve customers. We recognize many Hawaiʻi food establishment operators are doing their best to protect the health of their employees and customers, and we need all operators to comply with the guidance and take it seriously. This is a critical time for food establishments to tighten their practices instead of becoming lax."
     If a business is found to not be in compliance with physical distancing and mask requirements, it'll first be issued a written warning. If the business is caught violating the rules a second time, it'll be issued a red placard and will have to temporarily close. The food establishment may request a follow-up inspection in order to reopen their business.

     In July 2018, waters between the Hawaiian Islands were designated the Daniel K. Akaka Marine Highway. Young Bros. suffering a steep declined in revenue during the pandemic, cut its schedule putting "critical" shipping between the islands at risk. Other places that receive funding from the Marine Highways Program include coastal and island communities in southern Alaskaand state and communities along the shores of the Great Lakes. Most waters near the coast of the U.S., including the Mississippi and Gulf of Mexico are included.

Hawaiʻi County Council passed a resolution Wednesday, asking the PUC and Young Brothers to seek a wide range of assistance to help keep the interisland cargo service in operation. Photo from Young Brothers

Washington

     The resolution addresses Public Utilities Commission's May decision, which allowed Young Bros. to cut expenses by reducing weekly sailings to Hawaiʻi Island and other Neighbor Island harbors. The resolution indirectly refers to the recent event, where 21 containers went overboard just outside of HiloHarbor, saying fewer sailings "increases the potential for service interruptions due to incidents arising from improper container loads."

     The resolution encourages the Public Utilities Commission and Young Brothers to work with a broad range of possibilities for funding to help the company through the pandemic, which has cut its cargo bookings, and reduced  opportunities for farmers and ranches shipping interisland and for schools, businesses, and non-profits receiving food and other goods.

     Council Chair Aaron Chung said, "The one thing I know for sure is this: we cannot lose Young Brothers. If they ever, by any way, go out of business, we are – no pun intended – sunk."