HONOLULU— State legislators from Kaua’i are among the best and the worst of Hawai’i’s lawmakers, according to a group that monitors their voting on environmental issues. Among Kaua’i’s five-person, all-Democrat delegation, Avery Chumbley (6th District) and Jonathan Chun (7th District)
HONOLULU— State legislators from Kaua’i are among the best and the worst of
Hawai’i’s lawmakers, according to a group that monitors their voting on
environmental issues.
Among Kaua’i’s five-person, all-Democrat delegation,
Avery Chumbley (6th District) and Jonathan Chun (7th District) are among the
top five senators, while Hermina Morita (12th District) is in the top 10 among
representatives on the legislative scorecard of the Sierra Club’s Hawai’i
chapter.
Of the other representatives from Kaua’i, Bertha Kawakami (14th
District) is in the middle of the pack. But Ezra Kanoho (13th District) is near
the bottom.
The rankings are based on legislators’ votes on environmental
legislation during the 1999-2000 session—10 bills in the Senate, 11 in the
House. The measures ranged from species protection and land-use to renewable
energy and hotel construction.
Morita was singled out by Sierra Club
officials for her “advocacy for clean-energy bills.”
“Considering Kaua’i’s
through-the-roof electricity rates and tenuous energy situation,” Morita
represented the “best interests” of the island’s residents, said Jeff Mikolina,
director of Sierra Club’s Hawai’i chapter.
On the flip side, Kanoho was
chastised by Mikolina for voting against clean energy.
Mikolina said Kanoho
also backed legislation that would have decreased public participation in
airport planning and expansion. Kanoho “cares little about Kaua’i’s unique
environment,” Mikolina claimed.
Kanoho couldn’t be reached for
comment.
Mikolina said votes of legislators are “an objective measure” of
their environmental leanings. He said the Sierra Club scorecard is a way for
citizens to judge the positions of lawmakers on environmental matters.
