The purpose for this letter is to address the recent radio advertisement Mr. Bob Lindsey has put forth in the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) Trustee election, specifically, Mililani Trask’s involvement in Huena Power, and the OHA investment. ADVERTISING The
The purpose for this letter is to address the recent radio advertisement Mr. Bob Lindsey has put forth in the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) Trustee election, specifically, Mililani Trask’s involvement in Huena Power, and the OHA investment.
First, it is dismaying and disappointing, when misinformation is released during a campaign by a person I hold in the highest regard, Mr. Bob Lindsey. Our ohana goes back generations with “Uncle Bob,” and our aloha for him is deep. My Papa, James K. Kealoha, was a statesman for decades in Hawaii, and I believe Mr. Lindsey has some of the same qualities. Unfortunately, In today’s political environment, factual information is sometimes set aside for sensationalism. Therefore, in order to preserve the integrity of the parties involved, including Kealoha Estate, the following is my perspective on the investment made to Huena Power by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs:
The facts will show, Mr. Lindsey is very supportive of geothermal development. He was a member of the Geothermal Working Group, and was a member of a series of forums IDG/Huena Power hosted throughout various communities statewide, in preparation for the 50MW Geothermal RFP HELCO issued. He was the trustee who brought the Huena Power investment to the Board of Trustees. After extensive due diligence by OHA, the proposed partnership resulted in a majority vote of 6-3, in favor of the investment.
We were so pleased in our ohana, as the Kealoha lands in Pohoiki were proposed to be the source for Huena Power/OHA’s development, should HELCO award the RFP to Huena Power. This was a sound investment, as the Huena Power proposal included direct community benefits (in addition to the required “royalties”) in their proposal to HELCO. Further, the management of our own geothermal resource was the goal: Hawaiian land, Hawaiian developer, Hawaiian money. OHA represents all of us beneficiaries, and the investment into our own resource management was achievable. My Papa believed geothermal would be the future of energy since the 1950s, and we continue to support his vision.
As to the misinformation regarding Mililani Trask, she was hired by IDG/Huena Power as a consultant. An important part of her role was to work toward inclusion of the direct community benefit package, in the interest of ratepayers and farmers. At no time was she, or is she, an owner of Huena Power. This is public information. In fact, she is currently one of the attorneys who is representing Huena Power at the PUC, regarding the HELCO decision as to the 50MW RFP. The Huena Power docket is still open at the PUC, and discussions are continuing. We hope that the PUC, HELCO, Huena Power, and OHA, will provide our community with a fair and reasonable outcome.
I trust this will clarify the inaccurate information put forth in Mr. Lindsey’s radio advertisement. It is my personal belief that Uncle Bob was not aware of the misinformation being publicized, and that his campaign team was not well versed in the facts, and were overly zealous in their efforts.
In closing, I am certain Mililani Trask will continue to be effective in all her endeavors, and that she should be given an opportunity to serve as Trustee of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Moku o Keawe, as we move forward. I submit this respectfully, and as Uncle Bob says, “always with aloha.” Best wishes to both candidates, as we face many important issues as a lahui, and OHA is an integral part of our future.
Kuulei Kealoha Cooper is an OHA trustee
