HONOLULU — An energy entrepreneur has proposed purchasing the Molokai Ranch and turning part of it into a farm for hibiscus that would be used for bio-fuel.
HONOLULU — An energy entrepreneur has proposed purchasing the Molokai Ranch and turning part of it into a farm for hibiscus that would be used for bio-fuel.
Hawaii News Now reported Tuesday that Andres De Rosa, the CEO of renewable energy company Lamplighter Energy, shared his vision at a community meeting earlier this month.
Whoever purchases Molokai Ranch will become Hawaii’s seventh-largest landowner. The 85-square-mile (220-square-kilometer) property includes two closed hotels, golf courses, cattle pastures and 20 miles (32 kilometers) of coastline.
De Rosa said 31 square miles (80 square kilometers) would be used to grow hibiscus. Another 8 square miles (20 square kilometers) would be leased to local farmers.
De Rosa’s idea has been met with skepticism by some who say the land should be used to benefit the people living on it.
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Information from: KGMB-TV, http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/
