Traffic ‘hell’
(On Monday) at 5:30 p.m., I crawled Highway 11 starting at Puainako Street.
Sixty minutes later, I reached Shipman Industrial Park.
Six miles per hour of highway driving hell.
I think the Traffic Division needs to look at the timing of the streetlight at the industrial park. Once I passed the light, I had no problem driving the rest of the way home to Mountain View.
Ruth Rivera
Mountain View
Urgent action needed
I applaud our mayor’s call for an energy emergency in response to the spike in energy prices. This call for action during a crisis is wise, as it creates a good tension for action.
The request to fast-track Public Utilities Commission approvals is notable. Regulatory procedures ensure decisions made are in the best interest of the people. If we can shorten the process without creating unnecessary risks, it will be important to do so.
It is important to note that several of Hawaii Island’s legacy renewable energy contracts are tied to the cost of oil. As oil prices rise, so does the cost of energy from the producers. It’s a double-whammy, as we’re not only paying higher prices for oil imports, but we’re paying renewable energy producers more as oil prices rise.
Fortunately, there are dockets for PGV and Hawi Energy before the PUC that would decouple energy prices from the price of oil for these producers. The good news is that PGV’s docket recently got conditional approval. This paves the way for more stable, cheap energy for Hawaii Island. The new contract promises a blended rate of 5.69 cents per kilowatt-hour!
The call to accelerate the deployment of clean energy (add energy efficiency measures and the electrification of transportation) is welcome, as we need to transition away from fossil fuels ASAP. However, if this is an emergency, we need solutions to ease the near-term pain, especially for our low- to moderate-income residents.
Ideas include a temporary gas tax “holiday” and an emergency decoupling of renewable energy prices from the price of oil for our current renewable energy producers.
An emergency warrants immediate relief. Actions to immediately reduce energy costs will help us do this.
Noel Morin
Hilo
The Navy’s blunder
The incompetence, and the subsequent dishonesty, that the Navy has exhibited at Red Hill is absolutely alarming!
How can we believe that the Navy could be effective in warfare? If they blunder as badly as this demonstrates, and then lie to their superiors to try to avoid blame, the admirals will have such poor information that they will not be able to conduct a battle correctly.
Honest, immediate and effective communication, and not obfuscation, is required to win a war (and to stop ongoing groundwater contamination, by the way)!
Richard Stancliff
Honolulu