The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is seeking applicants to be members on a task force that will develop recommendations and programs to help protect kalo, a crop plant sacred to Native Hawaiians that is being decimated by alien diseases and insects.
Recently named Hawai’i’s state plant, kalo is used to make poi, the staple of the [...]

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Now that the dust has started to settle after the end of another legislative session, the public can once again be reassured that our representatives put aside the public interest in favor of directives given to them by big business, and the large land owners in the state.
A key bill that illustrates this point was [...]

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With a defense contract in hand, Hawai‘i BioEnergy LLC, in which Maui Land & Pineapple Co. is a founding partner, is ready “to move from R (research) to D development),” says ML&P Chief Operating Officer Robert “Rob” Webber.
A marker of progress since the alliance was formed in 2006 was the appointment last week of an [...]

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Fallow Lands Could Produce Ethanol, Supporters Say
Critics are saying it’s time for Congress to reconsider ethanol as an alternative fuel, and Hawaii politicians are pushing full-speed ahead to promote ethanol production on fallow sugar lands.
KITV’s Denby Fawcett reported why supporters say ethanol production is still a good idea in Hawaii.
Critics said the diversion of corn [...]

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Biofuels, criticized by some as contributing to worldwide food shortages by diverting crops from grocery stores, are getting a closer look in Hawaii as the state continues searching for ways to curb its reliance on imported oil.
The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism held its first public meeting yesterday toward developing a statewide bioenergy [...]

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A resolution moving forward in the state Legislature threatens to undermine county ordinances regulating vacation rentals on agricultural land, but may clarify an ambiguous state law affecting hundreds of landowners, officials said yesterday.
Critics ranging from county councils to farm bureaus submitted testimony last week strongly opposing the proposed legislation and questioning the abnormal process by [...]

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