Merge the monitoring
The state Department of Health is responsible for air-pollution monitoring.
This means when there is a release of sulfur dioxide (an irritant) or hydrogen sulfide (a neurotoxin) — a byproduct of many chemical, agricultural and industrial processes — or any other toxic gas, for that matter, a release over a certain level should trigger an emergency response at Civil Defense.
The county does not have an air-pollution monitoring program, but is responsible for emergency planning and response.
There is no coordination between the two, and the DOH hasn’t shown any interest in coordinating their air-pollution monitoring with county Civil Defense, for which they claim emergency response is not their responsibility.
There should be a connection between air-monitoring and emergency response, but don’t hold your breath!
Dave Kisor
Pahoa
Close the retreat
Do you want taxpayers money to reward lawlessness? How about $100,000 reward for 30 years of pollution?
Rep. Joy San Buenventura seems to think its a good idea. She championed getting $100,000 grant-in-aid funds for Kalani Honua, a 19-acre parcel running as private resort with a restaurant, two stores and rental cottages.
They have been operating as a private resort for over 30 years, none of which have any building permits or other licenses.
The $100,000 is toward the installation of 12 commercial septic tanks. Her reasoning is that it is better to treat the current cesspools than allow them to continue to leach into the ocean.
That might be OK if Kalani Honua was a good citizen in every other respect, providing jobs, tax revenues, obeying regulations, having proper licenses — in short, everything every other legitimate business has to do.
But Kalani Honua has none of that. Never has.
Why haven’t private investors done what is required? Why should taxpayers bail out people who take all the money and give none back? Kalani Honua, claims to serve 13,000 people per year. They have created a mess, ignored it for decades, pay nothing, and now want us to bail them out?
What is Rep. San Buenventura thinking? If she wants to protect the ocean, enforce the existing laws. Make Kalani Honua close until they solve their problems at least, to say nothing of fining them for all their flagrant violations.
R.J. Hampton
Pahoa