Posted on: Wednesday, March 2, 2005

VOLCANIC ASH
Vested interests trying to sink Superferry

By David Shapiro

The Hawaii Superferry has captured the fancy of local people with its promise of an interstate highway that would finally bridge the family, cultural and economic ties between our islands.

If successful, the ferry would give Hawai'i residents and small businesses a real option to established airlines and shippers that have priced themselves high and operated at their own convenience.

That's why it's so frustrating to see the ferry falling victim to an 11th-hour power play by business competitors and environmentalists who hope to scuttle the project by forcing a time-consuming environmental impact study that could threaten financing.

That state and county politicians are playing along cements Hawai'i's reputation as a lousy place to do business because of our habit of sandbagging good-faith investors with last-minute changes in the ground rules they play by.

The Superferry was cruising along with strong public support, backing from Gov. Linda Lingle and the approval of the Public Utilities Commission after extensive public hearings.

All that remained to meet the project's June 30 financing deadline was for the Legislature to approve $40 million in harbor improvements — a routine accommodation for transportation providers that is repaid from user fees.

That would enable the Superferry to have its first of two ships carrying passengers, cars and freight between Hawai'i's four major islands by early 2007.

But the last-ditch call for an EIS, backed by Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa and the Kaua'i County Council, is gaining support in the Legislature.

A Senate bill to require an EIS has passed the Energy, Environment and International Affairs Committee and is up for a final hearing today at 1:15 p.m. before the Transportation and Government Operations Committee.

The EIS initiative is attributed to environmentalists who used similar tactics to defeat expansion of the Maui's Kahului Airport.

But environmentalists lack the clout to gain such rapid support in Hawai'i's cash-and-carry political culture unless their goals coincide with those of more powerful interests.

The real impetus is more likely coming from businesses that would face competition from the Superferry, several of which have testified in favor of the Senate bill.

The timing is highly suspect.

If the environment was such a concern, why wasn't a bill introduced in last year's Legislature, when Superferry plans were well-known? Why wasn't more made of the issue before the Public Utilities Commission?

The environmental study seems intended as a late political torpedo to sink the ferry by giving promoters too little time to deal with an EIS before their financing crumbles.

If an EIS is required by existing law, as advocates claim, why do they need special legislation targeting only Hawaii Superferry and not other businesses providing similar services?

Airlines, cruise companies and shippers are already engaged in much bigger ways than the Superferry in moving people, autos and freight between the islands.

These enterprises were not required to file environmental impact statements. What justifies singling out the Superferry so late in the approval process?

It's simply not right for laws written to protect the environment to be hijacked to protect vested business interests.

Given public support for the project, lawmakers should be working to make it succeed instead of throwing up dilatory roadblocks at the behest of private constituencies.

They can satisfy their environmental concerns without new EIS legislation by tying funding for harbor improvements to strict rules of operation already being negotiated by Hawaii Superferry with the Department of Transportation.

There's no reason why these issues can't be resolved by the end of the legislative session to give this worthy project its best shot at locking in financing.

David Shapiro, a veteran Hawai'i journalist, can be reached by e-mail at dave@volcanicash.net.