Thursday, July 17, 2014

Musings: Rich Ironies

There's so much rich irony in the lawsuit that Kawailoa Development — owner of the Grand Hyatt and Poipu Bay Golf Course — has filed against Hawaii Dairy Farms.

There's the irony of a 600-room luxury hotel and 18-hole golf course — a resort property that has its own tremendous environmental impacts — positioning itself in the role of environmental protector.

There's the irony of a resort that pollutes in so many ways — catering to a steady stream of visitors arriving by carbon-producing aircraft, consuming immense amounts of energy and fresh water, generating mountains of trash, pumping thousands of cars onto overcrowded roadways and producing millions of gallons of sewage — now claiming it relies on a “pristine surrounding environment in order to attract and maintain its business.”

There's the irony of a resort that regularly applies untold quantities of restricted use pesticides to its guest rooms, landscaping and golf course claiming that any discharge and pollution from the dairy would “diminish the quality and value” of its properties and “pose a health risk” to its guests and employees.

There's the irony of an oceanfront resort, with its chlorinated pool and lagoon, its sewage treatment plant in the tsunami zone and its aforementioned heavily-herbicided grounds and golf course, claiming the dairy poses an unacceptable threat to groundwater and the sea.

There's the irony of a resort that applies restricted use pesticides to its landscaping and links, thus creating a possible pathway for these toxins to enter the groundwater, using the ever-popular fear-mongering tactics to imply the dairy's waste will contaminate groundwater and cause fatal blood disorders in babies. 

There's the irony of a golf course that applies fertilizer, with its nitrogens, to its ever-green oceanfront links claiming the dairy's nitrogens will harm waterways and fish.

There's the irony of a brightly-lit oceanfront resort directly in the flight path of Newell's shearwaters, a resort that sits on a once-wild coastline frequented by monk seals and turtles, claiming that it's worried about “harm to endangered species.”

There's the irony of a resort that took over Mahaulepu coastal land many of us hoped would be turned into a park using the National Park Service's rationale for making Mahaulepu into a park as ammunition in its lawsuit against the dairy.

There's the irony of a resort that uses tons of imported food fighting an agricultural use that is trying to increase local food production.

There's the irony of a law firm that argued the Hawaii Superferry did not need to conduct an environmental assessment now arguing that a dairy on ag land must conduct an EA.

There's the irony of groups like Sierra Club, Malama Mahaulepu and Surfrider — groups that used to oppose golf courses and resorts on ag land — aligning themselves with the tourist industry and against agriculture on ag land.

Oh, and let's not forget the irony of Myles Shibata, the longtime chief operating officer of Kawailoa, working also as president of Grove Farm Land Corp[Correction:  The appointment was made in 2006, not the week before the complaint was filed.]

There's the supreme irony of a non-ag use in the ag district seeking to stop an agricultural use on acreage that has been designated in perpetuity as important agricultural land (IAL).

Then there's my personal favorite: the irony of Grove Farm, hungry for cash, reclassifying ag land so it could sell it for the Hyatt, now seeing its first IAL tenant being sued by the monster it created.

Hmmm….

35 comments:

Anonymous said...

irony or expected? It is Kauai, ya know, home to every whack job on the planet.
I don't know what the big deal is.
The Council is against Ag on Ag lands. The fistees, led by da Hoos and Jackpot have shown, that public outrage, neo-violence, and bad behavior can force a moonbeam namby pamby Council to violate State law.
If Bynum supports giant Ag Bed and Breakfasts, some with 20 rooms...what's the problem?
Golf Course and Hotel- Good for Ag lands
Ag use on Ag lands- velly velly bad.
I have an MAGIC old rice cooker for sale, slightly used that by itself, created over 1.5 million dollars of economic activity and put 290K CASH in Bynum's pocket. It only cooks non-GMO, organic rice. Maybe, this rice cooker can be snuck on the bad NoMoPooPoo Omidyar Dairy site and they can get busted for illegal rentals.

Anonymous said...

If the residents in the area support the Hotel's claim then they support the Hotel. Maybe it's time to change the zoning of the area to residential and resort.

Anonymous said...

Myles was only at Grove Farm for a short time back in 2006

Joan Conrow said...

Dear 8:21 -- Thanks for catching my error. I've corrected the post.

Luke Kambic said...

As long as a resort can pull a stunt like this without expecting a significant public backlash, local food security will remain a fantasy on Kauai and on all of its rapidly gentrifying neighbors.

Anonymous said...

New Zealand = cold weather; Kauai = Hot weather

Why PR portrays as parallel model??

BS (npi)

Anonymous said...

Two wrongs don't make a right, so what is your point. This milk is slated to be exported to China to meet high demand for safe baby formula. Please, take the time to visit a few dairies on your travels and let us know if you would want to spend your vacation near one.

Anonymous said...

Grove Farm holds steadfast to its mission statement:

"As a Kama`aina company, Grove Farm is committed to leading Kaua‘i's community and economic development, while being a responsible steward of its ‘aina....."

NOT!

Anonymous said...

"This milk is slated to be exported to China to meet high demand for safe baby formula."

Total BS. The whole reason for the dairy is to make more milk in the islands.

Anonymous said...

milk is going to oahu. not china.

but still dumb idea if you ask me.

split the budget of the dairy in half.

make a post processing center.

more jobs, less cows.

Anonymous said...

I would be really interested to read more about what is going on with grove farms. do your digging joan. find da scoops.

Anonymous said...

poipu

poipoo

shipwrecks

shi*wreaks

hyatt

Shyatt

Dawson said...

There's the irony of a brightly-lit oceanfront resort directly in the flight path of Newell's shearwaters, a resort that sits on a once-wild coastline frequented by monk seals and turtles, claiming that it's worried about “harm to endangered species.”

There's the irony of a resort that took over Mahaulepu coastal land many of us hoped would be turned into a park using the National Park Service's rationale for making Mahaulepu into a park as ammunition in its lawsuit against the dairy.

There's the irony of a resort that uses tons of imported food fighting an agricultural use that is trying to increase local food production.


Slam dunk!!

Anonymous said...

Can't have a resort and surrounding million dollar properties exposed to the stench. Otherwise, the values would plummet and local people might actually be able to afford living in Poipu. Hahaha. Go, dairy. Stink it up!

Anonymous said...

Dairy or no dairy, Grove Farm should have, as well as every council member and the Mayor, an obligation and interest in creating a successful environment for the people of Kauai. How about re zoning the land from "AG" to "residential" by Mahaulepu and creating a local community where people can afford to live? Kauai's biggest asset is people! Not cows, not organics, not gmos or non gmos and not hotels. Those are all things to consider, but not when they are being considered above and before our local people. We need more affordable housing! What matters most is our people! We need our local people to be able to achieve success in our islands so that we dont have to compromise our values just to survive and scrape by. So that we dont keep being shoved into degrading living situations while our old neighborhoods turn into vacation rentals. So that the resentment towards every new Haole that just moved here but calls themselves "Kama'aina" because "I've lived here for 5 years, so I have a strong opinion about the Dairy and everything, even though I know nothing about the history and people of Kauai" can diminish. We need to get rid of this old mindset of preserving everything and instead utilize everything in a smart eco- friendly way of course. Whats good is land if its not used and the people of the land are suffering? We need to be able to work, and shop and afford where we live so the whole island doesn't have to drive to Lihue every day. ENOUGH of catering every decision to the tourists and just moved here group. Lets focus on what locals need to live and achieve success for generations to come.

Anonymous said...

I'd bet $100 if you owned and lived in a house where the Grand Hyatt is you'd be screaming your bloody head off about that "damned dairy". A good letter in todays local rag raising valid issues that that have been brought up before, but seemingly swept under the rug. There are much more appropriate places for a dairy of that magnitude.

Anonymous said...

"I have an MAGIC old rice cooker for sale, slightly used that by itself, created over 1.5 million dollars of economic activity and put 290K CASH in Bynum's pocket."

lol

I know a magic old prosecutor who did the same thing...

Anonymous said...

11:25 You may have unwrapped the enigma.
If the Dairy gets dumped, then Grove Farm can shrug and say " Hey, you don't allow us to do Ag, we will do Urban" The Dairy is on easy to develop land, it is close to amenities, has views and there are thousands of acres. BabaBillions of real estate value.
Same goes for the all Ag. Malihinis and this includes the Hyatt, know that if they build next to Ag, they may get real Ag activity close by. Why even the Kamaiiana haoles who have been here since 2009 know that.
The only Ag that Hooser, Bynum and Joann will support is "organic" food, that is sold at Farmers Markets, even tho' a good portion of the Farmers at the Farmers markets do their farming at the Costco produce department. They feel that they can force the big land owners to do their bidding. They make big Ag activities illegal, try manipulative tax creations and bad mouth them every chance they get. Even tho', when you capitalize most Ag boutique farms on Kauai, they do not pencil out. 5 million dollars in real estate and five thousand in goat cheese, rambutan and kale. Nope, life don't work that way.
A&B, G&R and Grove farm will be here long after the screaming anti-Ag nutjobs, Hooser, Yukimura and Jackpot Bynum have left this earthly paradise. Anti-Ag and Anti-local nutjobs come and go, big land on Kauai stays.
Support Ag, not the Council wags.

Anonymous said...

I smell hypocrisy and a sense of entitlement.

Anonymous said...

Joan, you are right in many ways. But I for one am glad the Hyatt is taking on the dairy. It takes one capitalist Goliath to fight another, and this one appears to have the support of its community (Poipu and Koloa). I'm all for ag at Mahaulepu, but want it to be of an appropriate scale. In my dreams, I wish the food produced would benefit Kauai (or at least provide more than 15 measly jobs).
The Hyatt is not innocent, but seems to be the greenest hotel on the island, with its recycling programs, electric car rental programs, and solar electric system. More importantly...it was here first. The dairy threatens its investments, which have already been made.

Anonymous said...

I have an MAGIC old rice cooker for sale, slightly used that by itself, created over 1.5 million dollars of economic activity and put 290K CASH in Bynum's pocket.

July 17, 2014 at 7:19 AM

Same person always calling him Jackpot Tim. If Tim wasn't retaliated by a corrupt PA and planning dept inspector then He would have not won a lawsuit that the deputy PA provided audio recording the PA coaching the planning dept Inspector on how to LIE when they question her.

The PA coaching a planning dept to commit a crime isn't the worst thing that came out of this but you wouldnt know because you are so infatuatiated with retaliating against Tim Bynum.

I'm not voting for any of the incumbents but people who know the real reasons Tim was hunted by the GOBAG "Kauai Mafia", know that Tim would not have WON a lawsuit if a PHONY retaliation plot was not uncovered and you all can thank Cpt Kirk on that one.

Jake "the snake"......

Anonymous said...

Acowpoopalypse Now! The odor, the odor.

Anonymous said...

9:30 Jake- Jackpot Tim did NOT win a lawsuit. His many friends on the Council agreed to settle and gifted Jackpot, the 290,000, after spending over a million to go to court. At the last minute, Tim's friends decided that he should get the money and the Prosecutor would be denied her right to defend herself.
Regardless, of the right or wrong of it, FACT a Councilperson with inside knowledge of the procedures and results of many County lawsuits sued the people and took TAX money from all of us. Tim could have stopped this lawsuit at any time, he chose to proceed, influenced greatly in the fact that he knows that every person who sues the County on many BS suits gets 250 to 400K....he was right, Shay got no justice, Jackpot hit the Jackpot, the Council members who voted to give Tim the money are less than honorable. The Council's new job description is, controller of the the purse strings, lawmakers, public agitators and now Jackpot creators for their own members.
I still have the old rice cooker, it creates wealth, just rub it, put it in your window and the County god fairy will pour buckets of bucks all over you.

Dawson said...

"The Hyatt is not innocent, but seems to be the greenest hotel on the island, with its recycling programs, electric car rental programs, and solar electric system. More importantly...it was here first."

Oh, the irony!

Anonymous said...

When one side surrenders, quits or gives up (taps out) the other side wins. Plain and simple. A no contest plea implies I know I can't beat the case, but I aint gonna admit to it. A win is a win is a win, and by any other color is still a win.

Anonymous said...

I figure the suit will get thrown out for not being "ripe". The court will say no damage - no suit. Come back when you can show damages.

Anonymous said...

The Council has information on the Dairy. The Dairy is in the Northern Hemisphere and the prototype New Zealand dairies are in the Southern Hemisphere. The Northern Hemisphers Dairies have an axis tilt of 1.222 percent greater, this axis tilt compunded with the latitude of a warm 22 degrees creates a cosmic spiral that allows grass to grow and effluent to disappear. This science can be discovered in the any science journal, but especially the anti-GMO newspapers , Boobs for No Biotech and Hooser's Little Red Fistee Handbook....the science is real.

Anonymous said...

It is too hot over there for the poor cows.
And New Zealand's "clean" cows are now being found to be responsible for massive groundwater contamination.

Anonymous said...

Yes.......irony, hypocrisy, Big money, small minds.....and poor planning.

I can see the hotel's point of view coming from their financial interests and reputation.
Nothing like sitting around the pool with one's MaiTai swatting flies and wearing a close pin on one's nose.

Poop, flies, potential for disease spread, odors (attract more flies), sewage run off into a special place for kanakas, malahinis, and tourist....GREAT Planning!

Cow shipped from Missouri? Trailers, Trains, and Boats...
That certainly makes sense.

No milk processing on Island. That also makes sense?

Either idiots are running the show, or....smoking too much dope.

Dairy farms do not make money unless subsidized by the US government. That's us, and our money.

Dr Shibai

Anonymous said...

July 19 @7:35 AM, not at all funny but definitely stupid

Anonymous said...

11:33 It is spelled shakedown, one word. What does that mean? Are you suggesting that the proposed dairy is some type of criminal enterprise? As like in white collar crime where one business attempts to gain something (such as money or building permits) from another business or permitting authority using threats or deception. Interesting concept but where is your proof. Just because the business plan of the two billionaire owners involved make no sense, either financially or environmentally is no proof. They could be willing to lose millions for the benefit of the people of Hawaii. Of course there would be some collateral damage. There always is when you are a mission to benefit the world and the people of Hawaii. That big old 600 room hotel has some large investment, something like hundreds of millions. I would guess there are also hundreds of hotel jobs that would be lost. The loss of property tax revenue from that hotel going out of business could be large. Oh wait, now that I think about it, the collateral damage may be more than I am will to sacrifice in the name of fresh milk

Anonymous said...

What about Arryl Kaneshiro (Project Specialist For Grove Farm)running for County Council, He Works For Grove Farm! Is he Running for Council so Grove Farm can do what ever want? Grove Farm Lesaes Land To All The Major Corn Seed Co. Are they A Supporter Of GMO?

Anonymous said...

Just because Grove Farm leases land to chem companies doesn't mean that its candidate is pro GMO. He may be a vegan.

Anonymous said...

Hahahaha - Kaneshiro a vegan?
Now THAT's rich!

Anonymous said...

Bynum and Hooser are anti GMO and you know just by looking at them that they're carnivores.