Group seeks to block Moloka'i cruise port calls

By Kelly Yamanouchi
Advertiser Staff Writer

An environmental advocacy group is suing to stop the first cruise ship visit planned for Moloka'i on Dec. 28, saying an environmental assessment of the potential impact is needed.

Earthjustice, on behalf of Moloka'i community group Hui Ho'opakele 'Aina, filed the suit in Maui's second circuit court yesterday arguing that the state must conduct an environmental study because the cruise line Holland America will use state land when it anchors and ferries passengers in its visit.

Members of the Moloka'i group also are concerned about the effect of hundreds of cruise ship visitors to the tiny, rural island that is home to about 6,700 residents. Holland America's Statendam will bring 1,266 visitors for the day.

"We want to know how a town with no stoplights and one public restroom is going to handle thousands of visitors all at once," group member Walter Ritte Jr. said.

The lawsuit comes amid rising concern about the potential impact of tourism on Hawai'i's environment. The state and cruise industry recently agreed to standards governing environmental practices, and the state is working on a study that will give a clearer picture of the effects of tourism growth. A Sierra Club lawsuit also remains pending before the Supreme Court that seeks to require the state's tourism marketing agency to perform an environmental assessment of the effects of its expenditures.

For Moloka'i, one of the most rural Hawaiian islands, tourism is a rapidly growing industry with 81,649 visitors to the island this year through October, a 35.2 percent increase over last year, according to state figures.

The cruise industry, in particular, is expected to grow for the island, with three more visits by Holland America ships set for next year. Other cruise lines also have indicated they may be interested in stopping at Moloka'i. That cruise-ship increase, with its added visitor spending, could help stimulate the economy on the state's fifth largest island.

"We think it's going to be very good for the economy of our island," said Sandy Beddow, executive director of the Moloka'i Visitors Association. "I would say around 90 percent of our residents are excited and happy they're gonna get a chance to greet the ship."

But in the suit yesterday, concerns were raised about the effects of the cruise stop on the reef and marine ecosystem.

"Any time there's a use of state lands there must be at least an environmental assessment," lead attorney Isaac Moriwake said. "We believe that nobody is bothering to look at what's going on in our waters."

Earthjustice also is asking Holland America to voluntarily conduct an environmental impact statement on the effect of its cruise visits to Moloka'i. Through an environmental assessment — which the suit seeks from the state — a state agency may determine that a more detailed environmental impact statement is required under state law.

A Holland America spokeswoman said yesterday she could not comment until she knows more about the request.

Moriwake said the cruise industry's potential effects on Moloka'i's reef system, Hawaiian fishponds and marine ecosystem are a concern because Native Hawaiians and other Moloka'i residents depend on natural resources for culture and subsistence.

"This is something that really the government, the state, is supposed to take care of. It's their obligation," Moriwake said. "There's no indication that Moloka'i can handle a flood of two or three thousand tourists."

Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee and community group member Colette Machado also questioned who will benefit from the cruise visits, and said Moloka'i is not equipped for more than 800 cruise visitors. The harbor has one bathroom, and portable toilets will be set up for the cruise visitors.

"We feel that this is a ramrod," Machado said, noting she is concerned that after Holland America's ship visits the island more cruise ships will come. "Foot in the door is what I call it. That's what we're afraid of."

Gershon Cohen, director of Alaska activist group Campaign to Safeguard America's Water, said the rapid growth of the cruise industry is "really catching a lot of people unaware."

"When everybody started docking in Alaska, everybody thought, "Oh, this is great.' What we found is the impact of dropping a few thousand people has been huge," Cohen said. He said cruise visits affect water quality as well as infrastructure such as roads.

It was unclear yesterday what state agency could be responsible for an environmental assessment.

Dave Parsons, boating planning manager for the Department of Land and Natural Resources, said he does not believe an environmental assessment is needed because there is no construction and the use of the state harbor would not change with the cruise ship arrivals.

"That pier was constructed way before all these requirements for (environmental impact statements and environmental assessments) came into existence. It would seem they would be grandfathered in," he said.

Department of Transportation spokeswoman Marilyn Kali said the cruise ship arrivals do not affect any of the department's facilities.

"There's no need for DOT to require one," Kali said. "We're not sure who should be requiring it, if it should be required."

If an environmental assessment is required, it could take months and typically the cruise ship operator would pay for it, she said.

Genevieve Salmonson, director of the Office of Environmental Quality Control, said the cruise lines between islands do not conduct environmental assessments.

"It's the same as an airline — when they dock, they don't do an assessment," she said.

Reach Kelly Yamanouchi at 535-2470, or at kyamanouchi@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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