Under pressure

A state audit levels a number of criticisms at the body that oversees the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii

By Alan Yonan Jr.

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jun 11, 2012

~~<p>Officials that operate Hawaii's largest ocean science and technology park said they are taking steps to tackle a long list of deficiencies cited in a state audit that criticized the facility in Kona for failing to achieve its potential after nearly 40 years in existence.</p>
<p>State legislators requested the audit of the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority mainly because of their concerns about a lack of accountability in how NELHA charged tenants for deep-sea water pumped through the facility's offshore pipes. What auditors found was an organization that "struggled with the basics of open government" and was "woefully inadequate" in a host of performance measures.</p>
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Officials that operate Hawaii's largest ocean science and technology park said they are taking steps to tackle a long list of deficiencies cited in a state audit that criticized the facility in Kona for failing to achieve its potential after nearly 40 years in existence.

State legislators requested the audit of the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority mainly because of their concerns about a lack of accountability in how NELHA charged tenants for deep-sea water pumped through the facility's offshore pipes. What auditors found was an organization that "struggled with the basics of open government" and was "woefully inadequate" in a host of performance measures. Login for more...