Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 7

[1stwahine]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 7

Listening to Senator Hooser, If I was Garibaldi, I would say Aloha, walk out and set sail outta Hawai'i!

I'm foa The Hawaii Superferry. The way Senator Hooser was asking the questions were just plain rude!

Auntie Lynn

[LikaNui]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 7

Listening to Senator Hooser, If I was Garibaldi, I would say Aloha, walk out and set sail outta Hawai'i!

That's EXACTLY what I was thinking too!

[1stwahine]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 7

That's EXACTLY what I was thinking too!

"Brilliant Minds"

Auntie Lynn

[anapuni808]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 7

you have to keep in mind - next year is an election year. Hooser wants to be re-elected. if he comes out in support of HSF (as he did several years ago), then he totally blows his chances of coming back to the leg. Hooser is a politician - nice guy, who I've met, but he is still a politician who is always looking towards the next election.

and sadly, I think HSF will end up leaving Hawaii and we will all be the losers if that happens.

[pzarquon]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 7

Wherever the SuperFerry goes, I hope it ends up in a city I'd already want to visit. The Seattle Superferry. The Victoria Superferry. The Hong Kong Superferry. Oh, to ride in comfort and class and to tell tales to the locals about the city that drove it away...

[Miulang]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 7

Wherever the SuperFerry goes, I hope it ends up in a city I'd already want to visit. The Seattle Superferry. The Victoria Superferry. The Hong Kong Superferry. Oh, to ride in comfort and class and to tell tales to the locals about the city that drove it away...

I doubt Seattle can use it. We had some fast foot ferries up here, but they caused so much erosion on the banks of the channels they passed through (by their wakes) that they had to slow waaaay down, which kinda defeated their purpose. They no longer are running because the fares were so expensive compared to the slower car ferries (they were a private company, not funded in any way by the State, the way the car ferries are owned and operated by the State as part of the highway system).

Miulang

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 7

Wherever the SuperFerry goes, I hope it ends up in a city I'd already want to visit. The Seattle Superferry.

I doubt Seattle can use it.

But you can still visit us, Ryan. Please do. E komo mai.

[mel]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 7


30,000 Superferry Supporters Can't Be Wrong! - Mr. Garibaldi holds a thick binder with the names of 30,000+ supporters of Hawaii Superferry who registered with the Friends of Hawaii Superferry website late this afternoon at the Senate hearing.


Superferry employees and supporters waved signs in front of the Capitol this morning.

More Superferry photos at this link.

[speedtek]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 7

Listening to Senator Hooser, If I was Garibaldi, I would say Aloha, walk out and set sail outta Hawai'i!

I'm foa The Hawaii Superferry. The way Senator Hooser was asking the questions were just plain rude!

Auntie Lynn

But he is the "minor" majority and I dont think he will get re-elected. he will find out. Everyone I know won't vote for him now.

[Adri]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 7

In case anyone's interested, this is the bill under consideration

http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/splses...y_Proposed.pdf

I am not against the Super Ferry but I do think it's a bad idea to make law for one specific company (even if the bill refers to "a large capacity ferry vessel company" instead of the Super Ferry by name) and I am still curious about why the Super Ferry fought so hard for so long to avoid doing the EIS in the first place. They could have done the EIS much more quickly and much less expensively than all this litigation and hullabaloo they've been going through twisting and turning to try to avoid it.

[LikaNui]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 7

I am still curious about why the Super Ferry fought so hard for so long to avoid doing the EIS in the first place.

Since that same question comes up almost daily in almost every media and every hearing, I have to wonder why folks don't realize how many millions of dollars an EIS costs! A 6- to 8-month EA is very expensive, but a two-year EIS, with all the outrageously high research and consultant charges, could well run into tens of millions of dollars. So clearly the question really is why would HSF spend millions and millions of dollars on an EIS the State Of Hawaii itself clearly told HSF they didn't need?!?? Now that would have been a really poor business decision.
Why do folks think the state is pressing so hard to force HSF to be unable to ever sue them for state actions past, present and future?
It is the state who is at fault for not getting an EA/EIS, not the SuperFerry.

[Kittrick]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 7

I doubt Seattle can use it. We had some fast foot ferries up here, but they caused so much erosion on the banks of the channels they passed through (by their wakes) that they had to slow waaaay down, which kinda defeated their purpose. They no longer are running because the fares were so expensive compared to the slower car ferries (they were a private company, not funded in any way by the State, the way the car ferries are owned and operated by the State as part of the highway system).

Miulang

I enjoyed the fast ferry between Bremerton and Seattle, but it was those people on Bainbridge Island that paid millions for their homes who were complaining that they would fall into the sound heh. 30 minutes for a trip that would normally take 60 was a pretty good ride. Especially if you were skipping school to go see the laser shows at the Pacific Science Center like I did

[Adri]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 7

Since that same question comes up almost daily in almost every media and every hearing, I have to wonder why folks don't realize how many millions of dollars an EIS costs! A 6- to 8-month EA is very expensive, but a two-year EIS, with all the outrageously high research and consultant charges, could well run into tens of millions of dollars. So clearly the question really is why would HSF spend millions and millions of dollars on an EIS the State Of Hawaii itself clearly told HSF they didn't need?!?? Now that would have been a really poor business decision.
Why do folks think the state is pressing so hard to force HSF to be unable to ever sue them for state actions past, present and future?
It is the state who is at fault for not getting an EA/EIS, not the SuperFerry.

The state hired a firm to do the superferry environmental assessment for $1 million, not tens of millions of dollars.


http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/ar...710060347.html


I don't doubt the State screwed up. It makes no sense to me that the government wanted assurance that there were no environmental issues outstanding so they decided to just not look and pretend that if they don't see, there's nothing there. Now, maybe there is no outstanding environmental issue. But it's the conclusion that not looking means there is no issue that I don't get. That also brings me back to my thought that it's not a good idea to waive legal requirements for one specific company. However, the Superferry folk must have known that the environmental assessment was a requirement and the waiving of it would lead to challenges. The news coverage indicates that the Superferry company states that it has already done it's own extensive environmental studies. So it seems they did know they'd need some kind of environmental assessment or face challenges on their impact on the environment even if the formal EA was waived.

eta: I'm not saying the $1 EA cost is cheap but I do think the company lost a lot more than that with doing their own environmental studies, defending themselves in court and to the public and in not being able to operate this long.

[LikaNui]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 7

The state hired a firm to do the superferry environmental assessment for $1 million, not tens of millions of dollars.

Yes, but now they are requiring a full EIS, not a minor EA. I never said that an EA costs tens of millions. Please re-read my post, where I clearly wrote:

I have to wonder why folks don't realize how many millions of dollars an EIS costs! A 6- to 8-month EA is very expensive, but a two-year EIS, with all the outrageously high research and consultant charges, could well run into tens of millions of dollars.

Don't know how I could have made that any clearer.

However, the Superferry folk must have known that the environmental assessment was a requirement and the waiving of it would lead to challenges.

When a STATE gives you a LEGAL RULING that something is not required, normal folks would presume that's a final opinion.
If the IRS says you do NOT owe taxes, wouldn't you say thanks and move on along from there?

The news coverage indicates that the Superferry company states that it has already done it's own extensive environmental studies. So it seems they did know they'd need some kind of environmental assessment or face challenges on their impact on the environment even if the formal EA was waived.

Not true at all. What is DOES indicate is that they DO care about the environment enough to have done their homework well in advance! Perhaps you are unaware that environmentalist groups have applauded SuperFerry for RAISING THE BAR in terms of what everyone else should be doing.

This is why a lot of us have just quit posting in this thread. We don't have time to repeatedly use hard facts to correct every wrong opinion, nor to teach everyone what they would already know if they'd been properly studying the issue.

[Miulang]

Re: Hawaii Superferry - Chapter 7

Watched the Senate hearings yesterday and watching the House hearing today. I seriously doubt Lingle is going to get the consensus she wants from the House and Senate.

If nothing else comes of this, I sure as hell hope a thorough audit is mandated to examine all the things that led up to this point. The last couple of days Bob Awana's name has been brought up with regularity, and Fukunaga both yesterday and today invoked the attorney-client privilege a little too often for there not to have been something fishy going on behind the scenes. Why were Awana and Fukunaga involved in negotiating with HSF and not Rod Haraga, the then Director of DOT? Fukunaga clammed up about whether he got legal advice before he issued the exemption. He said he mentioned what he was doing to Haraga, but it was he who made the final decision to issue the exemption. Hmmm...so was Haraga the boss or not?

Miulang