Energy
Energy
A costly proposal
Aina Koa Pono, the Ka‘u biofuel project, tells us that consumers will pay only if they succeed. If they do succeed, the cost will be roughly $200 per barrel of oil and locked in for a 20- year contract with HELCO.
By comparison, HELCO recently announced it is planning to add 50 megawatts of geothermal power to our island’s grid. The cost to produce geothermal electricity equates to roughly $57 a barrel oil.
Why are Aina Koa Pono and HELCO pursuing this unproven biofuel venture when it clearly means higher electricity rates?
Our economy took a nose dive at $147 a barrel of oil in 2008, causing hardship for many families.
Please submit written testimony by Nov. 30 for Docket No. 2012-0185 and send it to: Hawaii.puc@hawaii.gov.
Aina Koa Pono’s success does not mean our success.
Richard Ha
Hilo
PTA agreement
Military appreciation
I enjoyed your recent article on giving local police access to our Big Island military training facilities.
For Pohakuloa Training Area Commander Shwedo to acknowledge that members of our community are welcome to train at their facility is a step toward allowing the law-abiding citizens of this country access to facilities they paid for to “create a safer place for all of us.”
Being from a military family, I, too, can relate to weapons held by the law-abiding populace that are well-oiled and sighted in to assist in upholding the laws of this great land. Thank you, Commander Shwedo.
Steve Snyder
Kalaoa
Advice
A pleasant sign
Every morning on my way to work, I drive past a hand-painted wooden sign nailed to a tree along Mamalahoa Highway. Above the sign there is a sheep stuffed animal toy tied to the tree. The sign reads: “Smile. Enjoy Life.”
Some mornings, I miss the sign completely, too much in a rush to notice or I am too preoccupied with thoughts in my head like, “Why is this car in front of me going so slowly.”
Other days, it surprises me, and I notice it at just the right moment to read it as I drive past it. I even have some mornings when I am feeling sluggish or upset and I drive anticipating seeing the sign because I know I need the reminder: Smile. Enjoy life.
Such a simple statement, yet too many of us do not take the time to be in the moment and simply smile and enjoy this wonderful gift we have been given.
So today, go ahead and smile … (even if just for a moment).
Thank you to the amazing person who put up the sign. It looks like it’s been on the tree for years.
Eve Green
Waikoloa