Molokai Dispatch -- June 4, 2014

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June 4, 2014 - Volume 30, Issue 23

The

Molokai Dispatch T h e i s l a n d ’s n e w s s o u r c e s i n c e 1985

Happy Summer #happysummermolokai By Molokai Dispatch Staff

By Catherine Cluett | Editor-In-Chief

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ummer’s here! School is out, graduation parties are in full swing and the beach is calm and calling. Canoe races will heat up in friendly competition starting this Saturday, June 7 at Kaunakakai Wharf. Whether it’s camping, watermelon eating, family vacation or summer school, the season is often full of fun. What does summer on Molokai mean to you? Show us your best photo on Instagram to answer that question and you could win a gift certificate to Kualapu`u Cookhouse to celebrate the sultry season. Here, we’ve shared a sampling of photos to get you warmed up. Tag us @molokaidispatch and hashtag #happysummermolokai to enter. Deadline is Friday June 27 at 5 p.m., limited to five entries per person. #happyinstagramming

This Week’s

Dispatch

Reaching for Excellence

Molokai Gets To Business

Pg. 3

Pg. 6

Undersea Cable Still on the Table for Some Islands

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en, children, youth and needy programs. Once a month during the school year, Sust`ainable Molokai hosts a community workday for community members to come out to the farm, put in garden work and learn the rewards of eating

tate and federal energy officials got a clear message from Molokai residents who voiced their continued opposition to a potential undersea transmission cable in Hawaii that would transport energy interisland. “I’m totally pro-renewable energy which is why I’m very concerned and upset by this document,” said Molokai resident and energy expert Mike Bond, referring to the Hawaii Clean Energy Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS). “The one thing that concerns me the most is the tacit acceptance of the undersea cable... I think the cable is a disaster -- it’s hyper-costly, and in my view, a political, corporate scam.” The PEIS is a 1,000-page-plus document that analyzes potential environmental impacts associated with a wide variety of clean energy technologies and activities across the state. Molokai residents had the opportunity to offer their comments on the draft document two weeks ago when energy planners visited the island to receive input. “We aren’t looking at specific projects, we’re looking at potential environmental impacts of a wide range of projects and technologies that would help the state meet its energy goals,” said Jane Summerson, National Environmental Policy Act Document Manager with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI) established by the state and federal government in 2008 set a goal of shifting from heavy dependence on fossil fuels to 70 percent clean energy by 2030-- a combination of 40 percent from renewable energy generation and 30 percent from energy efficiency and conservation measures. In 2010, the state announced preparation of a PEIS for the so-called Big Wind project, which would have included utility-scale wind projects on Molokai and Lanai, the energy from which would have been sent to Oahu via undersea cable. Based on the feedback from statewide scoping meetings that criticized the project, however, Summerson said the DOE went back to the drawing board and created a new PEIS that would include a broad range of potential projects and considerations throughout Hawaii. “We’ve long said if there’s significant community opposition to any particular project, we don’t want to see it happen,” said Mark Glick, Hawaii’s state energy administrator, in an interview after the meeting. “I think our record speaks for itself --

Pizza Continued pg. 4

PEIS continued pg. 5

From Garden to Pizza By Bianca Moragne | Staff Writer

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t Sust`ainable Molokai’s permaculture farm in Ho`olehua, there’s a time to sow and there’s a time to reap the harvest. There’s also a time to craft and eat homemade, baked and garden-fresh pizza fresh out of a traditional pizza oven. “This is really how to get kids and others to enjoy eating what they grow,” said Emillia Noordhoek, executive director of Sust`ainable Molokai, a local nonprofit that works with the community to find modern strategies for sustainability while respecting cultural traditions. Last Saturday morning, smoke billowed from the Forno Bravo pizza oven’s opening for the first time ever. The oven was stuffed with delicious handmade pizzas with ingredients straight from the farm. Made of clay, the mobile, domedshaped, wood-fired pizza oven was introduced to the Molokai High School farm, thanks to a grant written by Noordhoek from Friends of Hawaii Charities. The charity organization generates funding for Hawaii nonprofits that benefit wom-

Why I Fly with Makani Kai. Shalina says she likes Makani Kai because the whole process is “less hassle” than flying with the other guys, and the people are friendly. You mean the other guys aren’t friendly? “Well, no, but it’s nicer here and you smile more.” Shalina also says she appreciates the fact that we offer so many flights to and from Molokai, that we’re consistent and we’re on time. Let’s see: friendly, convenient, on time and reliable. We’re checking all Shalina’s boxes. How about yours?

$50, every seat, every flight, every day. Make Reservation at MakaniKaiAir.com and save Makani Kai Air | (808) 834-1111

The

Molokai Dispatch

P.O. Box 482219 Kaunakakai, HI 96748

Shalina Franco Molokai Resident


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