COMMENTARY
HECO plan: It's a win-win for all of O'ahu
Hawaiian Electric recently filed an application to build a new power plant in Campbell Industrial Park. At the same time, it announced that it had reached an agreement with the community on givebacks, a set of actions designed to in some way make right for adding another burden on the Kapolei and Wai'anae communities.
Since February, community representatives and leaders have been meeting with Hawaiian Electric to discuss the new plant and a wind farm proposal and all of the impacts of both on our communities. After our initial questions and discussions, we asked HECO to separate the dialogue for the projects since the two are completely different situations.
HECO will complete the wind farm proposal dialogue process in the next few months, and we plan to comment on that process and its results then.
As for the proposed power plant, we understand the need for the plant as energy use continues to grow on O'ahu. We accept that it will be sited at Campbell Industrial Park. We were reassured that it will be a state-of-the-art facility using the best current technologies with plans to burn cleaner fossil fuels.
The facility will also be able to burn ethanol, biofuels or hydrogen as they become available.
Our acceptance was also based heavily on our view that Hawaiian Electric is aggressively pursuing options that include renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy conservation.
Once we determined that the plant was necessary to support our current economy and lifestyles, Hawaiian Electric discussed with the affected communities the need to "give back" to the community for the additional burdens being imposed. In looking at givebacks, the community had the following priorities:
• We need to do something to directly address the immediate neighbors — those most impacted by the new plant.
• We need to reduce the environmental impact of the current power system.
• We need to change the way we live on this isolated island — we need a conservation ethic that recognizes and respects living on an island of finite resources and very visible limits.
• We need solid information about what is happening to our neighborhoods environmentally.
• We need to be able to hold Hawaiian Electric accountable for its promises to us.
• We need to create a working process between communities and companies that leads, whenever possible, to win-win solutions.
The bottom line in the process that we just went through is that we feel we have together created a win-win for O'ahu: Everyone on O'ahu will continue to receive the reliable power needed to support both our modern lifestyle and the economy — and a community that is once again being asked to shoulder significant infrastructure and societal burdens for the rest of the island will finally be acknowledged for that in ways that speak to social justice and equality.
So what does the community receive? A 7 percent rate discount for residents in the immediate neighborhood of the plant. This giveback focuses on residential ratepayers because the proposed peaking unit would operate in the early evening and therefore residents are the ones primarily impacted. We also agreed that the discount rate would only apply to a base average electrical use amount, so that we do not encourage excessive energy consumption.
Another community benefit will be getting the Kahe Power Plant off the use of potable water for its boilers and into using recycled water. This act is one of the most significant environmental steps that we could take.
Three additional air-quality monitoring stations will be sited: one makai of the new unit, one in Nanakuli and one in the Wai'anae/Lualualei area. Hawaiian Electric also has agreed to resume fish-monitoring studies. Together, this package of environmental monitoring will help provide us with solid, reliable data with which we can make informed future decisions.
These three community-initiated proposals are supported by Hawaiian Electric. It will submit a request to the Public Utilities Commission that these givebacks be paid for by all O'ahu ratepayers for the benefit of its West O'ahu/Wai'anae neighbors. We agree with that view and hope that the rest of O'ahu will understand and appreciate the burdens that we assume on all our behalf.
We also have reached an agreement with Hawaiian Electric to support a resource conservation education program that we are initiating. This program will focus on nurturing and promoting a conservation ethic of respect for our environment and an understanding that we need to use all resources (not just electricity) wisely. This program will work with the schools and community organizations that are currently working on resource conservation education and we invite and welcome others to participate.
Hawaiian Electric has agreed to prepare a regular report card that will provide the public with information about the company's actions in areas such as renewable energy development, energy efficiency and conservation. This information will enable us to monitor the company's promises to us and allow us to become more knowledgeable and informed citizens.
Last, Hawaiian Electric has affirmed that it will continue to provide its corporate financial and volunteer support to community-based activities to help us continue our work at building healthy, vibrant communities.
We feel that this has been a fair process and welcome the opportunity to build what we hope can be a beginning template for how we as an interconnected island community solve one of our most challenging problems: how do we equitably share the burdens of basic, islandwide infrastructure needs among all of us — from North Shore to Hawai'i Kai and from Kane'ohe to Wai'anae — without unjustly burdening some of us. These challenges will only grow as our population increases, and we must seek processes that lead to social equity and fairness.
To do otherwise will continue to erode the aloha between us all — aloha that makes this the place we want to live and raise our families in.
William Aila is a community activist on the Wai'anae Coast. Community members who met with Hawaiian Electric and co-signed this piece include, from Kapolei: Maeda Timson, Keith Timson, Jane Ross, Martha Makaiwi, Michael Golojuch Sr. and Carolyn Golojuch. From Wai'anae: Kamaki Kanahele, Eric Enos, William Aila Jr. and Melva Aila.
