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And the fight goes on …

Lately many people have been asking us: “So the windmills for Lanai are gone, right?” Unfortunately, the answer is: “Not.”

When Larry Ellison bought all of David Murdock’s Lanai property last year he let Murdock keep the rights to develop Big Wind on Lanai. There are lots of rumors about why he did this, but our best guess is that he had little choice — Murdock wouldn’t make the sale without being able to keep those rights, whatever they are.

While we suspect (but can’t prove due to various confidentiality agreements) that the rights have conditions that would make it very difficult for Murdock to actually build his Big Wind project (else why are the terms such a state secret?) we just don’t know.

According to Hawaiian Electric Co., now winding up a year’s process of integrated resource planning (IRP), Big Wind on Lanai is still a centerpiece on their fast-track to achieving 40 percent electricity sales from renewables, since it’s a Big Chunk to them even if a tiny piece (less than 5 percent) of the overall Oahu demand. So, we decided to produce this video for our Oahu neighbors.

Friends of Lanai believes that this boondoggle of a project, this tax/ratepayer ripoff cooked up six years ago by Lingle, Murdock and HECO, should never have gotten as far as it has. HECO has spent millions of our ratepayer dollars in studies, the federal government has spent millions of our taxpayer dollars chasing it, and perhaps worst of all, the Murdock/Lingle/HECO project for years unnecessarily caused a deep, tense, still pervasive divide in Lanai’s social fabric.

We believe that Oahu residents need to understand two key issues: First, Lanai is a special and treasured place; not worth destroying for less than 5 percent of Oahu’s electricity demands. Second, Oahu ratepayers and taxpayers would be aghast if they truly understood the financial implications of Big Wind on – and to — them. Their electric rates are guaranteed (by last year’s cable regulatory bill) to go up through a series of “rate increases, rate adjustments and cable surcharges.” And that’s just for the 70-mile-long undersea cable that would need to be laid directly in, on and through the Hawaii Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.

So we decided to help inform our Oahu neighbors and friends. Friends of Lanai and Kupaa no Lanai were both fortunate to receive grants from the Hawaii People’s Fund (HPF) for travel and education. With HPF’s permission, we shifted some of those funds to pay for this video. KHNL’s rates were not only reasonable, the station included a 50 percent increase in the number of paid spots that would run as PSAs.

The video will run 20 times during the KHNL’s 5 p.m. daily news broadcasts in June. All the actors, voices and photographers either donated their time and work or charged us a very nominal fee.

We are most proud of the star, 6-year-old Kamaha’o Kahoohalahala, a nascent fisherman, paniolo and hiker, who is making his professional film debut in this video. The opening time lapse shots were captured by Grant Kaye at Keahiakawelo, the endangered ahupua’a targeted for Big Wind. The chant you hear at the beginning — Ku Kila Kila o Lanai — was written and performed by keiki of Lanai Anela Evans, and the subsequent voiceover is Diane Preza’s, another child of Lanai. Jomar Miranda gave us an Oahu face, and the video was creatively filmed by Lanai filmmaker Anthony Pacheco.

Sometimes something good emerges from stress and dissension.

About the author: Robin Kaye is the spokesman for Friends of Lanai.

Watch the video:

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