More than 1,000 Kaua‘i residents packed the War Memorial Convention Hall last night in Lihu‘e and greeted Hawai‘i Gov. Linda Lingle with a mixed storm of boos, cheers and bursts of applause. Click here to watch. The governor and an
More than 1,000 Kaua‘i residents packed the War Memorial Convention Hall last night in Lihu‘e and greeted Hawai‘i Gov. Linda Lingle with a mixed storm of boos, cheers and bursts of applause. Click here to watch.
The governor and an entourage of top-ranking county, state and federal officials hosted an open dialogue with community members — focusing first on an emergency U.S. Coast Guard rule and expanding over the next three hours to include a diverse case of Hawaii Superferry pros and cons.
The emotionally-charged crowd interrupted Lingle mid-sentence throughout the evening, starting with her introductory remarks on “what will happen when the Superferry returns.”
Some residents flung profanities as others denounced her a “liar.” A roaring applause erupted when the governor mentioned “respect.”
The evening began around 5 p.m. at the historic County Building where a few hundred protesters rallied to show solidarity on a walk down Rice Street to the nearby hall.
Some carried “Shame on Lingle” signs. Many wore “EIS First” shirts. Others merely spectated the drama from a distance — a lively break from a normally quiet evening on the rural island.
“I came out to show my support for the unified community that is demanding an EIS,” Nawiliwili resident Carl Berg said. “I did not come to hear the governor lecture me in a strident and provocative manner about the consequences of our peaceful exercising of our First Amendment rights.”
State police closed the auditorium doors inside the hall around 6:15 p.m., blocking dozens of residents from entering after reaching capacity.
A new Coast Guard rule — which has been challenged in federal court by a Big Island attorney but will likely see its first test when the Superferry returns Wednesday afternoon — restricts significant access to Nawiliwili Harbor an hour before the 350-foot catamaran arrives until 10 minutes after its departure.
State Transportation Department Director Barry Fukunaga called on residents to protest peacefully and respect the new federal rule, effective Sept. 1 through Oct. 31.
He asked the community to be mindful of an expected traffic surge when the more than 800-passenger, 200-car “Alakai” unloads during a time when the Pride of America cruise ship will also be in the Eastside harbor.
“This is a legitimate enterprise that has a right to travel,” Fukunaga said.
Nawiliwili Harbor is popular among local fishermen, canoe paddlers, a yacht club, surfers and swimmers who have voiced concern the past two weeks over the expected interruption the new Coast Guard rule will have on their daily use of the area.
“You need to observe the area in the harbor that has been set aside to make your feelings known,” Coast Guard Rear Admiral Sally Brice-O’Hara said after many in the crowd responded to her introduction with boos.
The governor responded to the crowd’s response to the admiral’s comments.
“Sally Brice-O’Hara and the people she represents are the same people who risk their lives when our families are lost on a boat at sea and while you may disagree with the decisions made, I think the Coast Guard deserves a special reception for the work they carry out every day,” Lingle said, drawing applause.
Law enforcement authorities developed the security plan after protesters formed a human wall in the harbor and blocked the Alakai from docking Aug. 27 on its second day of service from O‘ahu to the Garden Island.
Superferry officials suspended service on Aug. 28 pending the Coast Guard’s safe passage assurance. Meanwhile, a court order stalled service from Honolulu to Maui.
The rule creates an area for protesters to demonstrate in the water near Kalapaki Beach and on land in Nawiliwili Park. But it draws a line of demarcation designed to open the Alakai’s passage into port and clear the unloading zone that spills onto a narrow public jetty road, which residents clogged with cars on Aug. 26 to protest the Superferry’s inaugural trip.
Last night an “EIS” chant during a brief lull between speakers taking the podium brought hundreds of attendees to their feet.
Thousands of community members, county councilmembers, state legislators and environmental groups have repeatedly asked for a thorough environmental review prior to the Superferry starting service.
Kaua‘i County Councilwoman JoAnn Yukimura asked Lingle several questions after welcoming her to the island and voicing her respect for the governor’s difficult leadership position.
“We can not and will not hold back with the hard questions,” she said. “There is too much at stake.”
Yukimura, a former mayor and attorney, asked Lingle why her administration has fought against an environmental impact statement, why the state is not letting the law run its course and why there was a “major deception” in Superferry ties to the military.
Despite a few snide remarks from some members of the audience, the councilwoman’s questions returned hundreds in the audience to a standing ovation.
“My answers may not be the ones you want to hear. I accept that,” Lingle said, adding that the decision on when the Superferry returns to Kaua‘i has already been made.
The governor said there was no “major deception,” and she does not know what the Superferry has to do with national security as many have alleged.
“Superferry has a legal right to come into the harbor,” Lingle said. “There has been no legal opinion” to stop the company from running service to Kaua‘i.
Although the state Transportation Department exempted the Superferry from an environmental assessment two years ago, the Hawaii Supreme Court on Aug. 23 ruled that the decision was in error.
“The Supreme Court did not rule that the Superferry had to stop although that was a specific request,” state Deputy Attorney General Lisa Ginoza said, adding that Circuit Judge Randal Valenciano has “specifically denied” a similar request on Kaua‘i.
“Ultimately, there is no legal order that stops the Superferry from operating to Nawiliwili Harbor,” she said.
The state is now soliciting bids to conduct the environmental assessment, a review which will likely take eight months to complete and could result in the need to perform a more thorough environmental impact statement.
Ongoing court cases on Maui and Kaua‘i are expected to determine if the Superferry can operate during the environmental assessment.
Some residents said they fear the high-speed vessel will endanger marine life, clog traffic, spread invasive species and burden Neighbor Islands with Honolulu’s urban problems such as drugs and homelessness.
Superferry officials, absent from the forum yesterday, claim their voluntary policies will mitigate these threats and the company will be forced out of business if courts decide the Alakai must stay docked during the environmental assessment.
Lingle reaffirmed her position in support of the Superferry as an alternative means of inter-island transportation. A handful of residents voiced similar support.
“It’s an important option for our state to have, to travel,” she said.
When asked why the state can’t just do an environmental impact statement, Lingle said, “That may be how things end up.”
Andrea Noelani Brower, a surfer who was in the water during the Aug. 27 protest, asked Lingle how much the Superferry board of directors contributed to her campaign for governor.
Lingle replied saying campaign contribution limits are $6,000 per person.
When another resident, Scott Mijares, later repeated the question, quoting an online campaign fund tracker, the governor said it was “likely” Superferry officials had contributed upwards of $25,000, but that amount composes just one-half of one percent of her total campaign money.
