Story Behind Big Wind Project Needs To Be Told
The Governor鈥檚 hare-brained wind scheme is triggering a lot of jaw dropping and head scratching 鈥 and not just on Molokai and Lanai.
The reason is not just the grim cost of his plan, but also a growing realization that we鈥檙e not getting the whole story. Apparently, we鈥檝e seen only Phase 1. It seems there are also plans for Phase 2 (central Molokai) and Phase 3 (east Molokai.) Are there further phases planned for Lanai as well? Until the Governor shows his cards, we will just have to guess. Comparing wind farms elsewhere, the complete blanketing of both islands with giant turbines would be no real surprise. If a big enough cable is installed, any number of turbines can be added.
So where will phases 2 and 3 go? Molokai Ranch (aka MPL), the lessor of Phase 1, also owns huge tracts above and west of Kaunakakai, and directly above Kawela Plantation. Since most of this land lies leeward of the mountain, the best wind would be along the crest. Further to the east are different landowners, but a similar landscape. The implication is chilling: The rest of this project could include rows of giant towers looming above Kaluapapa and the valleys of Waikolu, Pelekunu, and Wailau — with perhaps a neat horseshoe array around Halawa Valley as well.
Is the State of Hawaii ready to desecrate this pristine scenery before the National Park Service even has a chance to protect it? Imagine the outcry if the state of California put wind turbines around the rim of Yosemite Valley. Yet the north side of Molokai has the equivalent of three Yosemite Valleys.
Do Oahu voters really want to trash this wonder for a few extra megawatts? I don鈥檛 think so.
We don鈥檛 know the true plan, but this scenario would at least explain the Governor鈥檚 unconstitutional secrecy. If the general public could actually visualize a lei of monster turbines all around Molokai, they would realize that this isn鈥檛 a reasonable energy plan at all; this is state sponsored vandalism. When all three phases are complete, Molokai will be a sad memory, a junkyard set in a silver sea.
One local political junkie defends the Governor thus: 鈥淲ell, he鈥檚 a good Democrat.鈥 Well, I鈥檝e been a good Democrat myself for 45 years. But with all its problems, our party still manages to agree that government exists to protect the whole community and its resources. In this project our state government is acting like a watchman who solicits looters, unlocks the gates, and guarantees a clean getaway. What kind of Democrat is that?
Reasonable alternatives to 鈥渂ig wind鈥 are all around us, starting with conservation. One developer recently offered the Navy 300 megawatts of solar, more than their total use. HECO鈥檚 own plans for solar have raised the question whether the utility can even accommodate the wind farms! Yet this Frankenstein project staggers mindlessly on.
Every new administration has a golden opportunity to review the vision, the plans, and the budget of the one it replaces. Abercrombie could have convened a State Energy Forum, brought all the impacted parties together, and moved beyond obsolete technologies. Sadly, he didn鈥檛.
The people of Hawaii deserve a government wise enough to avoid the slick fix and the trendy scam, and creative enough to evolve the future out of the past. And we deserve a governor whose oath of office begins, like a doctor鈥檚, with this: First of all, do no harm.
About the author: Former college instructor, longtime Bay Area business owner, local official Martinez Ca. mid 90s, reviewer for SF Chronicle 80s and 90s, happily retired letting Molokai change me.
