Thursday, May 20, 2010

Musings: Expensive Agendas

Today’s Advertiser and The Garden Island both are running the KIUC press release that downplays the stunning news that the U.S. Justice Department has indicted the utility on criminal charges for its role in killing Newell’s shearwaters, which are protected under the Endangered Species Act.

This is big stuff, so I’m disappointed the papers ran with a story based solely on KIUC’s spin. No other company in Hawaii has faced a similar indictment for violations of the ESA, so you know it’s not something the Justice Department is doing on a whim.

As for possible penalties, we’re talking fines of up to $50,000 per bird, and KIUC already has acknowledged that its power lines kill 87 adults per year, including breeding adults. Since chicks require the care of both parents to survive, their deaths constitute an incidental take. KIUC further estimated that its streetlights kill about 18 Newell’s fledglings each year. The law also provides for imprisonment of up to a year, which might be a better course, seeing as how some people seem only to care about how fines might affect their electric bills.

The disturbing comment section that followed The Advertiser's story, was prefaced by the admonishment: “You share in the honoluluadvertiser.com community, so please keep your comments smart and civil.”

Unfortunately, that didn’t deter folks from leaving comments that reflected a stunning ignorance of the law, the issue, the life history of Newell’s Shearwaters and the natural world. I especially liked the one that blasted “tree huggers” and noted:

Do they have ANY idea how expensive thier agenda is?

Oh, probably not as expensive as the agenda of big business. What do you suppose it will cost to deal with the fallout of the BP oil well explosion, seeing as how the spill has now entered the Gulf loop current and is headed for the Florida coast, and is looking to be way bigger than BP has thus far admitted? And who do you think will end up paying? As Democracy Now! reports:

Oil has already reached the fragile wetlands on the Louisiana coast. On Wednesday, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal said he had asked for intensified efforts to defend the coastline from incoming oil.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal: "We’ve got to be completely focused on defending this coast. The cost—the difference between keeping this oil out and having this oil in this wetlands, it literally could be life or death for many of these species."

At a congressional hearing Wednesday, a professor at Purdue University told lawmakers the oil spill may now be 95,000 barrels of oil, or four million gallons, per day—nineteen times BP’s estimate of 5,000 barrels a day.


To put the spew in some sort of perspective, Jan TenBruggencate published a thoughtful post that compares it to the 1998 Tesorio spill in the Islands.

But really, our obsession with dollars and cents skirts the true issue, which is how can you even begin to assess the value of entire species, intact ecosystems, a well functioning natural world?

Finally, today will be the last regular KKCR radio show for me. It’s been (mostly) fun, but I just don’t have time for it any more. Anyway, today my co-host Caren Diamond and I will be interviewing attorneys involved in the Larsen’s Beach case. We’ll also be discussing GMOs with Nancy Redfeather of Hawaii SEED and touching on other issues of local interest. So tune in from 4 to 6 pm. at FM 90.9, 91.9, 92.7 or kkcr.org.

13 comments:

jonathan jay said...

"last regular kkcr show" say it aint so! i really enjoyed your show today (and everytime i can catch it).

fyi, i will send you a kuhio highway baseline shift i developed that reduces overall excavation for the new lane, virtually eliminates excavation for the path, pulls all the construction away and completely off the beach, and retains the existing stone wall in place.

re: KIUC's bird kills, why get upset at the whistle blower? What about the actions themselves - i just don't get it.

i went to tgi and the honolulu paper's comments section, and i am really just amazed at the reactionary "socialist progressive" (and life hating) gibberish loaded in there.

what's up with that - do folks think even for 3 seconds before they start banging the keyboard?

Anonymous said...

will be interesting to see what happens with the bird thing. hard to say how fast kiuc could even move, on anything, even if it really wanted to internally or was sternly directed to do so from the top

noting where the fine money goes might also interest people

buy boy...if this is used as kw rate hike cover...grr (ie ~ "your rates are going up...not because of lack of skills or planning, but b/ we got 'blind sighted' w/ this fine thing"). that narrative on the part of kiuc is foreseeable


dwps



dwps

Joan Conrow said...

dwps -- If you read the indictment, it's hard to see how KIUC could claim it was 'blind sighted'[sic] by the 'fine thing,' since it outlines violations dating back prior to its purchase of the utility, and numerous instances of US Fish and Wildlife bringing the utility's transgressions to its attention.

You'd also see how 15 to 18 years ago the utility's own scientists outlined mitigative measures that could be taken and either never were, or were done only recently after intense pressure from F&W.

But to borrow your phrase, I aint running a school for you on this sorry.

Anonymous said...

Birds and Bones....please tell me you aren't serious. No wonder why Kauai is in the shape it is in.Are there any adults that make decions on Kauai? Do any of you wonder why Kauai is turning into a Third World County?....Bones and Birds.

Anonymous said...

The third world electric utility is being prosecuted by the US of A and while we are barbarians, we 'mericans ain't third world.

Anonymous said...

I doubt anyone is going to jail but coop members as owners are all responsible. Instead of pay increased electrical fees to fix the problem we will now pay twice a penalty and then to fix the problem. Is it still "too expensive" to underground the electric utility?

Anonymous said...

I see dead animals along the road all the time. However, I don't see them closing all the roads or our state being fined for the "takings".

Shall we do without electricity and do without roads? Let's all move off the island and allow Kaua'i to be a habitat conservation zone designated by U.S. F&W.

Anonymous said...

Better find a place for all the burials that will be encountered during the undergrounding of the utilities.
Progress is a bitch.

Anonymous said...

"dwps -- If you read the indictment, it's hard to see how KIUC could claim it was 'blind sighted'[sic] by the 'fine thing,' since it outlines violations dating back prior to its purchase of the utility, and numerous instances of US Fish and Wildlife bringing the utility's transgressions to its attention.

You'd also see how 15 to 18 years ago the utility's own scientists outlined mitigative measures that could be taken and either never were, or were done only recently after intense pressure from F&W.

But to borrow your phrase, I aint running a school for you on this sorry."

-- i totally believe they knew this way comming (or could happen), but i still think that might be a narrative they adopt. as for the "school" thing...lady, i know more than you do, and you know it, but thanks


"Better find a place for all the burials that will be encountered during the undergrounding of the utilities."

-- good point


dwps

Anonymous said...

Clearly KIUC has not been indicted for what it has done. It has been indicted for what it has not done and for what it has failed to do over and over again. Contrary to what KIUC's lawyer tells us, the indictment is from a local Grand Jury, comprised of fellow Hawaii residents. As fishermen we should commend them--shearwaters help us find fish. As hunters and gatherers, we should commend them--a'o and ua'u fertilize and build the mauka soils that nourish us. As Hawaiians we should commend them--a'o and ua'u fed our ancestors and are part of our bones. It is time to start righting the wrong. The birds are the 'aina. We are the 'aina. The birds are we. Thank you--grand jury--for giving us the mirror. Time to make it right.

Dawson said...

"lady, i know more than you do, and you know it, but thanks"

Memo to self: increase monthly contribution to the National Institute for the Study of Advanced Narcissism.

Anonymous said...

DWPS, you are quite arrogant, and compulsive too.
Lady Joan you rock...

Anonymous said...

Lady Joan

really?