Geothermal bills
Geothermal bills
Don’t override veto
The County Council should not override the mayor’s recent veto of geothermal bills before we understand the issues better.
Even the homeowners’ association in Leilani Estates, the subdivision next to Puna Geothermal Venture, supports the mayor’s veto.
Did you know that no scientific study done anywhere in the world, ever, has shown that hydrogen sulfide levels such as exist in Puna produce the negative effects anecdotally claimed by some.
1) The Hawai‘i State Department of Health regulates H2S at “nuisance levels,” which is defined as what one can smell. The human nose can pick up the H2S smell at about five parts per billion.
2) The Office of Occupational Health and Safety Administration regulates H2S “safety levels,” and allows workers 40 hours per week around H2S when levels are below 10,000 parts per billion — far, far below levels considered unsafe (which are measured in parts per million, not billion).
Some other facts:
Worldwide, millions of people spend their vacation time and money at health spas and onsens that use water heated geothermally. They experience H2S levels much higher than do Puna residents.
Ambient levels of H2S in residential Rotorua, New Zealand, are 100 to 1,000 times higher than what our DOH regulates for.
Even the “blowout” at PGV some years ago was within OSHA’s safety levels.
The Hawaii State DOH says there are no health issues related to emissions of H2S at PGV.
We need to base our decisions and laws on facts, not unsubstantiated fears.
Richard Ha
Hilo
Theft
A lack of aloha
Since I moved to Kona in 2003, I have always been treated with aloha.
Not today. Today, someone stole a bag of items from my car that I had just purchased from Walmart.
I’m out $66, (not a small amount for a senior), and the gifts I purchased will not be given.
They were probably taken from my car while I was inside Safeway getting a few groceries.
I thought I had locked the car. Evidently, not well enough.
Maybe the thief can sell the items, because they were not edible. If they needed the money for food or other necessities, bless them.
But since the items mostly comprised of moisturizer creams by Oil of Olay, I do hope whoever has them turns a permanent orange. And aloha, to you, too.
Judy Harrison
Kailua-Kona