The widest and deepest utility fight in Hawai`i was the proposal by Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) proposal to build the Kamoku-Pukele 138 kilovolt (kV) Transmission Line. HECO sought to build a high voltage transmission line on Wa`ahila Ridge, to connect a...
News & Blog
Environmental Justice and the Rain Forest Palm Oil Fiasco
The Hawaiian Constitution and the laws of Hawai`i are for the most part geographically bounded by the borders of the State of Hawai`i. That is to say, the government can not impose its authority beyond its borders. There are exceptions. The treatment of convicted...
Toxic Contamination in Village Park
A major Village Park health cluster became apparent in the 1990s. Kids were born healthy. Mothers of first graders noticed that something was wrong. There were significant health issues and some kids had open heart surgery. Village Park is an area of just under one...
The Right to Sue
The modern air conditioner was developed in the early 1800s but became popular in the 1950s and 1960s.During the 1950s and 1960s consumers were urged to increase their use of electricity. Live Better Electrically (LBE) was launched in March 1956. The industry-wide...
The historical legacy of soil contamination in Hawai`i
Life of the Land played a significant role on-Department of Defense created Technical Review Committees (TRC) and Congressionally-approved Restoration Advisory Boards (RAB). These entities were created as an interface between the military and civilian populations...
The Bombing of Kaho`olawe
The day after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 the Navy declared martial law on Kaho`olawe. Residents were forced to leave. The Navy used Kaho‘olawe as a target ranch from 1941 through 1990. The Navy assaulted the island with napalm, mock atomic warheads, bombs...