Colleen Hanabusa’s talent and experience are badly needed at the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (“U.S. House bid by Hanabusa expected,” Star-Advertiser, May 26).

She should forsake her desire to return to Congress and stick it out in the very challenging job she has just pledged to do.

Surely, after Saturday’s antics at the state Republican convention that accomplished nothing of substance (“Trump adds to state GOP woes,” Star-Advertiser, May 22), the local Republican establishment presents no threat to take the seat.

Michael G. Palcic

St. Louis Heights

LNG advocate deeply biased

The suggestion that natural gas is in any way best for the environment is a statement so ludicrous it could only be made by someone with a vested interest in protecting the oil and natural gas industry, not the environment.

Consequently, Kyle Isakower, vice president for regulatory and economic policy at the American Petroleum Institute, recently declared that natural gas is part of the diverse solution to “continue environmental progress without risking energy security, economic growth, and consumer savings” (“Can ‘clean’ energy replace fossil fuels?” Star-Advertiser, May 23).

In short, his job is to ensure that public policy favors the API — a clear conflict of interest.

Fracking releases copious amounts of methane gas, directly fueling the climate crisis. It contaminates our water sources and creates earthquakes and sinkholes that contribute to land instability. How does this help the environment?

The real solution is renewable energy, and creating more demand for it through a revenue-neutral carbon tax.

Lauren Foley

Downtown Honolulu

Rail’s value not same as its cost

Yesterday’s dollar could buy a Big Mac. Today it can’t even buy fries. But a Big Mac’s food value hasn’t changed.

Rail’s initial funding was approved 10 year ago for the value rail can provide Honolulu’s commuters. That value hasn’t changed, assuming the route isn’t shortened.

Who can fathom Honolulu’s $6.5 billion cost for rail ($8 billion less $1.5 billion in federal funds)?

For a Honolulu family of four, it’s $26,000, the price of a family car. Would you buy that car knowing that each day it would give you an extra 30 minutes to sleep in before work and an extra half hour to unwind after work?

Like H-1, rail will be around for 50 years. In terms of a car that could be used for 50 years, rail’s capital cost will be less than 40 cents a day for each of us.

Rail’s time-savings value is still a deal, even at $8 billion.

Sam Gillie

Hawaii Kai

Hokule‘a not worth a visit?

A recent Off the News item noted President Barack Obama’s failure to visit the Hokule‘a while it was docked in Washington, D.C., a 10-minute drive from the White House (“Obama misses meeting Hokule‘a crew, again,” Star-Advertiser, May 23).

I was filled with admiration as I watched the Hokule‘a sail up the Potomac. For Obama to not visit Hokule‘a in his own backyard was not only disappointing, it was a sign of disrespect, dishonor, disinterest and disregard for the Hawaiian culture and the state of Hawaii.

He made time to hit the links but could not spend 20 minutes saluting these courageous crew members and the Polynesian Voyaging Society.

Jim McDiarmid

Mililani

Neighborhoods have a voice

I recently contacted the city, the state and an elected official about the hazardous condition of a neighborhood road.

The state didn’t respond and the other two refused to help. So I contacted the neighborhood board, which took up the case effectively.

We’ve all had this experience. For elected or paid government officials, the public is an inconvenience, but people who sit on neighborhood boards do so because they care.

Neighborhood boards build consensus and have weight: No online presence will do that.

Finally, unlike all other elected positions, you do not need to be a U.S. citizen to sit on a neighborhood board. It is about community participation. Abolishing the boards would remove from a large part of the community (green-card holders and other legal, taxpaying residents who are not citizens) their only oppor- tunity to participate in democracy.

Nigel Pentland

Diamond Head