HONOLULU — Four influential Neighbor Island state senators, including Kaua‘i’s Gary Hooser, want the Hawai‘i Superferry to study what affect their ferry service will have on the environment before they begin transporting people and cars between the islands in July.
HONOLULU — Four influential Neighbor Island state senators, including Kaua‘i’s Gary Hooser, want the Hawai‘i Superferry to study what affect their ferry service will have on the environment before they begin transporting people and cars between the islands in July.
State senators Hooser, Kalani English of Maui, Russell Kokubun of the Big Island and Shan Tsutsui of Maui don’t believe Hawai‘i Superferry has convincingly explained how the service may affect the islands.
They want the company to complete an environmental impact statement, even if the study delays the start of service.
“I think the project warrants it,” said Kokubun, D-S. Hilo, Puna, Kau, the chairman of the Senate’s Water, Land, Agriculture and Hawaiian Affairs Committee.
Hawai‘i Superferry plans to board passengers and cars on its first catamaran-style ferry in July for travel between O‘ahu, Maui and Kaua‘i.
Another ferry will launch O‘ahu-Big Island service in 2009.
Regardless of whether the senators are successful, the potential for critical hearings at the Legislature could muddy the Superferry’s publicity campaign leading up to its planned debut.
“I think we are going to use every tool available to us,” said English, D-E. Maui, Molokai, Lanai, the chairman of the Transportation and International Affairs Committee in the Senate.
County councils on Maui, Kaua‘i and the Big Island have already passed nonbinding resolutions calling for a more complete study.
Maui County has joined a lawsuit with environmentalists challenging whether state improvements to Kahului Harbor are adequate to handle increased traffic from the Superferry.
The state and federal governments have ruled that Superferry developers do not need an environmental impact statement for the project.
State and federal courts have rejected lawsuits by environmentalists trying to force a review.
Environmentalists say the ferry could spread invasive species between the islands, endanger humpback whales, and cause traffic congestion at harbors.
Terry O’Halloran, director of business development for Hawaii Superferry, said the developers have conducted research and community outreach that in some instances goes beyond what would be required in an environmental impact statement.
Superferry developers have established a whale avoidance policy and are working with the state Department of Agriculture and the Hawai‘i Invasive Species Council to prevent invasive species from getting aboard.
The developers also altered some planned routes to avoid arriving at harbors during busy times.
State Senate Minority Leader Fred Hemmings, R-Kailua, Waimanalo, Hawai‘i Kai, said senators should back the project.
“We support the Superferry because we see it as the most environmentally friendly form of interisland travel available,” he said.
State House lawmakers said they would likely wait for the Senate to act before considering any legislation.
State Rep. Joe Souki, D-Wailuku, Waiehu, the chairman of the House Transportation Committee, said he wants to see how the Maui harbor lawsuit unfolds.
