No Ferry To Maui

[Cacia]

Maybe you are right. But maybe they just want a place at the table.

old "sea flight" hydrofoil

I did not know that, that is reassuring.

I'd like to see a process where somebody wins besides the lawyers as the process of the way they bill just pits groups against each other, like a divorce made worse.

The ferry is not planned to go to Hana, is it? My cousin lives over there and boy are they isolated.

What real power has Gov Lingle had in this process? I see her commenting but where does her formal power in the process?

 

[smitty71]

This thread is all over the place. Just a point, IMHO If the sierra club is so concerned about the environment how come they are not up in arms about the H1/H2 merge, or the trash all over Makua beach, or the hundreds of pounds of fishing tackle we pull out of the water every year on the east coast, or the hundreds of brushes flushed out to sea by HECO? The answer is, this is what the media will cover now so thats what they oppose. If they really cared they would help clean up the mess. As far as surfers and swimmers getting hit by the ferry, if you swim in the channel you deserve to get hit. Its illegal to block the entrance to a port, and could be considered by some groups as a form of terrorism. I am just embarrassed that the US Coast Guard cant protect the safe ingress and egress of a vessel from a US port.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

If the sierra club is so concerned about the environment how come they are not up in arms about the H1/H2 merge, or the trash all over Makua beach, or the hundreds of pounds of fishing tackle we pull out of the water every year on the east coast, or the hundreds of brushes flushed out to sea by HECO?

The answer is, this is the Maui chapter of the Sierra Club.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

I don't know if any of you remember the old "sea flight" hydrofoil service back in the 80's I think,
it went over 45 knots and never hit any whales, I wonder how many of these ppl complaining actually lived here back then

First; a hydrofoil skims the surface at 45 knots, no signifigant draft. HSF has knife blade bows extending many times deeper.

Second; not nearly as many whales back in '85.

Third; SeaFlight failed so quickly they hardly had a chance to hit anything. They may not have even operated in whale season.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

What real power has Gov Lingle had in this process? I see her commenting but where does her formal power in the process?

Maybe she shot her wad, by dumping Hiraga for her yes man Fukunaga to get the exemption for her political chronies.

 

[Charlie99]

Maybe she shot her wad, by dumping Hiraga for her yes man Fukunaga to get the exemption for her political chronies.

Huh??

Rodney Haraga was in favor of the exemption. Rodney Haraga, while still the Director of HDOT, wrote this editorial in Oct 2006 in the Kauai newpaper. He was head of DOT when the exemptions from EA was approved. He was head of HDOT when the Maui circuit court found that the EA was not required. (Yes, the Maui circuit court judge ruled both that Sierra Club did not have standing, and also ruled that the HDOT had complied with the exemption rules).
http://www.kauaiworld.com/articles/2006/10/13/opinion/edit02.txt

There are some legitimate issues. Ad hominen attacks don't add value to the discourse. Misleading statements don't help the discourse.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Thanks Charlie! I had tried many searches to find such an article, to no avail. There have been many recent articles about the '05 decisions and then Harbors chief Fukunaga (now interm DOT head) seems to take the credit for the EA exemption. I guess it was the Airport dust-up that led to Hiraga being isolated from his underlings for the last year or so as DOT head. Thanks for the course correction.

 

[Cacia]

I am just embarrassed that the US Coast Guard cant protect the safe ingress and egress of a vessel from a US port.

My opinion is the leadership here right now is unskilled in dealing with the public.
The Coast Guard has a community relations problem. They should be partnering more effectively with the law abiding tax paying boaters, IMO.

"The Boat" started from the West Side to Aloha Tower today. TWO dollars!
Anybody have a problem with that? Sure beats that EWA mess. I guess since its Oahu people invading Oahu, it will be fine?

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

re-armed with the help of Charlie's link, I stumble deeper into the devisive whirlpool that is the stuporferry (flush twice for big'n's)!

The Garden Island news Hiraga viewpoint article, dated Oct. 12, '06 (Superferry has run the gantlet), brought about an immediate reply viewpoint, dated Oct. 15 '06 (Superferry has not run the gantlet), which is one of the earliest mainstream news sources mentioning DU that I've seen.

With regard to Hiraga's last couple years as DOT head, in a Pacific Buisness News article titled DOT director says Lingle fired him (dated Dec. 21 '06), Hiraga refuted a Lingle announcement that he "wants to pursue other things." He said he was "disappointed" by her decision. "I never really got a true reason but she doesn't need a reason," Haraga told KITV. The article hinted at the huge traffic delays after an overpass was damaged.

An interesting time-line conversation could be had with regard to testimony in a Pacific Wings suit against the State. A couple Maui News stories have very interesting HSF related information. Gov. Lingle silent on Haraga ice-out (Feb. 6, '07) quotes Hiraga's deposition (Dec. '06) as including these statements:

In August 2005, his three deputies (for airports, harbors and highways) were told to report directly to Bob Awana, Lingle’s chief of staff, “The deputies do not report to me.”

He continued to sign contracts during his last year and a half but had no other operational functions. He could not, he said, get information about his divisions’ activities from his deputies.

The follow-up story, Lingle sidelined transportation director but kept him on the payroll (Feb 10, '07), Transportation Chair Souki's Dec. testimony is quoted:

“I was aware last year that (Haraga’s) responsibilities were taken away from him. I didn’t know why.” Souki said he knew that “the power was going to (Haraga’s) respective deputies, he was left only with public relations.”

So Rod Hiraga could not get info from his deputies after Aug '05 and Joe Souki felt he only handled PR. A strong case might be made that Hiraga was told to release that statement, since he was not part of the decisions. Also, if you look at the Hiraga statement, he claims no state taxpayer funds are being used, which does kind of sound like he was not informed by his deputy.

 

[friscuba]

The Sierra Club may have it's own agenda. I know a guy who had a job as "Water Sentinel" for the Sierra Club off the west side of the Big Island. I don't know the whole story, but he led me to believe they would prefer that he hang off resorts looking for anything possibly "wrong" rather than even getting base samples in pristine areas to use for comparison. They went their separate ways.