EDITORIAL
Sensible concern over Moloka'i cruises

Demanding an environmental assessment is often the tactic of choice to halt an undesirable development. But it doesn't have to be that way.

Moloka'i residents are justifiably concerned that the cruise industry has discovered their rural paradise. We imagine that nautical day-trippers will be delighted with what they find there. But the Statendam, a cruise liner planning to call at Kaunakakai Dec. 28, intends to drop 1,266 visitors ashore — that's equivalent to about 20 percent of the island's permanent population.

"We want to know," says Moloka'i resident Walter Ritte Jr., "how a town with no stoplights and one public restroom is going to handle thousands of visitors all at once."

It's a sensible question, one the state and the cruise industry are in a position to answer in great detail. But one aspect of the impact of cruise ship visits should be obvious: Moloka'i's history of high unemployment and low wages should improve.

Because cruise passengers are ashore only for a limited number of hours, their activities are usually highly organized. The dates of port calls and numbers of passengers are known far in advance. While some visitors no doubt would be content to wander around Kaunakakai, most would be channeled via buses or vans to known destinations.

Concerns of environmentalists, of course, are far broader. Just as reasonably, they want to know the likely impact of giant cruise ships on reefs, and on air and water quality.

We think state officials have been far too bureaucratic in resisting the call for an impact assessment. They say it's not required because the pier has been there for ages, and no construction is required. That kind of thinking is narrow in the extreme.

The cruise lines have been through the assessment experience in tiny towns on the Alaska coast, among other places. They — perhaps more than anyone — are sensitive to the kind of "social impact" issues being raised on Moloka'i. We have no doubt they are fully prepared to cooperate, and they certainly want their passengers to have a warm reception on the Friendly Isle.

Some form of environmental assessment is clearly indicated. It will help allay concerns and make these visits a positive for both sides.