The wind industry has been likened to the wildcatters during the oil boom – risk takers seeking out ever more land on which to extract energy to fuel our nation’s power demands.While some energy companies have made efforts to be good corporate citizens, profits in the energy industry have attracted some players of dubious integrity. (Remember those ENRON traders caught on tape boasting about defrauding grandmothers?)
MECO Raises Rates
The Public Utilities Commission approved the interim agreement on Monday, which allows MECO to raise rates on Maui, Molokai and Lanai by an average of 3.2 percent, or $13.1 million. The increase reflects a previously owned agreement between MECO and the state Division of Consumer Advocacy. The PUC will continue to review details of the […]
Corporations Eye Maui For Oahu Energy Projects
From Civil Beat The Legislature’s recent approval of the undersea cable bill earlier this month is generating added interest in projects seeking to bring energy from neighbor islands to Oahu… Read more
HC&S Sugar Down – Coal Fired Electric Sales Up
From the Maui News Sugar production at Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co. on Maui was off significantly in the first quarter of this year compared to same quarter last year, but profits rose 35 percent in the company’s agribusiness sector, according to Alexander & Baldwin’s first-quarter report released Wednesday. Only 1,900 tons of sugar were […]
2012 Legislature – Last Minute Actions
HB2523_HD1_ – Sets up PUC regulatory framework for a planned interisland electric cable. Senate accepted House version and it passed. Passed. See Maui News article for more – especially the reservations our Maui County Senators expressed about this bill and their attempts to rewrite it to include more community input. Sen English was the only Maui […]
Is Wind Really Hawaii’s Low Cost Option?
Civil Beat discusses the report ranking various renewable energy costs Wind energy is at the top of the list of energy sources that Hawaii should be tapping to meet its renewable energy goals, according to a recently released federal study. Why? Because it’s cheap, says the 240-page study done for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory […]