This session the Legislature is considering a number of energy-related bills. It is clear that something has to be done to make power more affordable for the people of Hawaii. The challenge lies in determining what is the best way forward and ensuring that our body of laws reflect industry knowledge. Recent articles have suggested that OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion) is the best solution to Hawaii’s energy needs. Another points to wind. These may seem cheaper to start up but neither has the proven reliability of geothermal. But geothermal needs to be done right.
I ka wa ma mua, ka wa ma hope. Those of us who lived through prior bungled efforts to rally the community around the idea of drawing on Pele’s energy, know firsthand how important it is to be mindful of where we come from in order to move forward.
The people of Hawaii need to understand two things: One, the rich geo- thermal resources of Hawaii belong to the community. Two: There are alternatives to the profit-maximization, monopolistic models of the past. It is worth noting that to date, the savings achieved by the adoption of renewable energy alternatives have not been passed on to the consumer because our rates are still tied to the price of oil.
By law, Native Hawaiians and the general public hold title to the geothermal resources of the state. Therefore it is imperative that the community as a whole retain a meaningful stake in any geothermal development that takes place.
Token payments and one-time royalties will not suffice. This is critical to energy sustainability and to ending the practice of the people of Hawaii paying twice and three times what people on the continent pay for their electricity.
It should be a requirement that auxiliary benefits such as steam that accrue from geothermal development are made available to the community to benefit small businesses.
Equally important are provisions for job training to ensure that the next generation has the skills and education to manage and benefit from this incredible resource. That is what is happening in New Zealand and it could be replicated here.
That fundamental tenet — long term well-being of the community, not profit maximization — is the basis for the groundbreaking approach that the Innovations Development Group has used in its work with Maori Trusts in New Zealand to develop their geothermal assets. The same approach will work here. It is an approach in which the developer makes an upfront financial commitment to the state and the community. It represents a radical departure from the monopolistic practices of the past that also ran roughshod over cultural sensitivities. No other private company has been willing to make the commitment IDG has made to do this.
Geothermal is a critical component of Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s "new day" for energy in Hawaii. To translate the aspiration for energy independence into reality requires a willingness to recognize when statutes lag industry knowledge.
We are hopeful that our legislators will seize the moment to act with courage and integrity. The continued escalation of gas prices makes it ever more urgent that they act now to embrace geothermal energy development through a public/private partnership.
We urge them to make the necessary distinction between geothermal exploration and development to enable private companies to undertake the work that will determine whether development is warranted.
We fully support the full range of environmental safeguards provided for by the law when development is undertaken.
Our legislators can take an important step toward relieving the increasingly intolerable burden of high electricity rates on the people of Hawaii by passing Senate Bill 3003 relating to geothermal resources. We urge them to do so.
