Sunday 17 July 2011 by: Donald Cohen, YES! Magazine | Op-Ed There’s an old adage that if you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it. That seems to be the unofficial motto of the United States Chamber of Commerce, which has spent the last forty years repeating (and repeating and repeating) the mantra that government […]
Green Jobs Relevant to Maui
by M. J. Duberstein June 2011 In May the Kihei Community Association Planning Committee asked me to provide them with a report about viable alternative job opportunities for Maui Nui. This is an expanded version of that report, one which can be seen as a basis for Maui Tomorrow’s further efforts in this area. What […]
Bag Bill Final Conference Meeting Today?
SB 1363 Single-use checkout bag offset fee. The fate of this bill still lingers in the hands of the Conference Committee members. The offset fee currently stands at 10 cents and preserves the plastic bag bans in Maui and Kauai counties, while applying the offset to paper bags. They are no longer accepting testimony, but […]
Bag Fee Bill Advances to Conference
SB 1363 Plastic Bag Fee – The House and Senate Conferees have been assigned. Because the Senate and House versions of this bill differ, representatives may be inclined to feel differently than they did before. Everyone on the Conference Committee previously voted “aye”, but many with reservations. When a legislator votes “aye with reservations” it […]
SB 1363,Fee for Single-use Bags
SB 1363, the fee for single-use bags, is still being considered. Next hearing is the Finance Committee which hasn’t been scheduled yet. If you’d like to express your opinion on this bill, you can email your legislators. To find your State Senator and Representative, go here and select your island, and enter your street name. […]
HB1019 – Raise % of Barrel Tax to Clean Energy
HB1019 – This reapportions the existing $1.05 per barrel tax to ensure that a greater percentage is allocated to clean energy. Lately this fund has been raided for other purposes. The bill improves last year’s carbon tax law by requiring that the collected funds actually be dedicated primarily to Hawaii’s food and energy security – […]