Thus far, the county mayors and the governor have managed to delay the opening of tourism, public schools, numerous state and city services, and forced the reclosure of bars.

Lt. Gov. Josh Green is once again sounding the alarm, talking tough while threatening to lock down Hawaii residents in their homes for their lack of responsibility. We hear more alarm about increasing cases, yet hospital officials claim they are managing well.

The legislators and city officials who supposedly represent their districts remain silent. We have been at this for five months, with more than 900 businesses shuttered and unemployment skyrocketing. Yet elected officials continue to point fingers at Hawaii citizens while failing to recognize that the delays for safely opening lie squarely in their own failure to plan.

All we hear is that they are unprepared and need more time. Perhaps this election will let them know that their time is up.

Robert Espinosa

Kapolei

Marginalized people carry heaviest burden

It is marginalization — not ethnic heritage — that puts people at risk for COVID-19. Kristen Consillio quoted Dr. Jennifer Frank, who said there needs to be more outreach to specific groups, particularly Micronesians, who are “filling up the hospital beds” (“Hawaii’s recent surge in COVID-19 could further cripple the state, health officials warn,” Star-Advertiser, Aug. 2).

The article doesn’t address that Micronesians are one of our most marginalized and economically disadvantaged groups. Numerous studies highlight COVID-19’s disproportionate impacts on marginalized people due to subpar housing, food, health and job opportunities. The resulting discrimination and related violence create heightened stress, challenging the very resilience all communities strive to bring forward.

It is imperative to address our systemic racism that ultimately threatens our communal strength.

Mary Babcock

Kailua

Testing should be center of coronavirus strategy

Dr. Scott Miscovich deserves recognition for his persistence and hard work to increase the availability of COVID-19 testing throughout the state. Testing is the key to getting this epidemic under control. Community spread of this virus is now common, as evidenced by the dramatic uptick of cases that appear, on Oahu at least, to be widely distributed. Much of the spread seems to be caused by individuals showing no symptoms, hence they don’t meet the testing criteria and they remain very effective stealth spreaders of the disease.

Testing needs to be freely and widely available for everyone, not just for people with symptoms. Those in high-risk professions, such as grocery store workers, teachers, police officers, firefighters and medical workers, probably should be tested every day. Such a scientific testing strategy would result in the rapid identification of asymptomatic contagious people and allow the focusing of resources on investigating the contacts of such individuals to contain the spread.

Social distancing and hygiene remain essential adjuncts, but widespread testing should be the centerpiece of our control strategy.

John M. Berestecky

Professor of microbiology, Kapiolani Community College

Honua Ola still faces regulatory hurdles

Honua Ola objects to the state Public Utilities Commission’s decision not to waive competitive bidding (“Hu Honua’s benefits must be recognized,” Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Aug. 2). But that’s unlikely to change.

And other hurdles remain: The PUC still has to consider motions regarding Honua Ola refusing to provide information, and decide whether Honua Ola’s rates and greenhouse gas emissions benefit the public.

Honua Ola lacks approval for its injection wells, and lacks a traffic study for its huge logging trucks stopping and turning on a high-speed road.

The cost of Honua Ola’s power will be double or triple the cost from other new Hawaii island plants. And solar and wind power can almost always be available with modern, improved battery storage.

Honua Ola employees should pursue jobs in solar and wind. And Honua Ola should take responsibility for not getting all its ducks in a row before raising employees’ hopes and sinking millions into a plant that may never open.

Martha “Cory” Harden

Hilo

Bioenergy plant provides good jobs

I was born in Hilo and raised in a plantation home that was built by my grandfather, using the money he earned from working in the sugar industry. Most of our community here in Papaikou and Pepeekeo was built with plantation money. I’m very thankful that the plantation provided my family with jobs and a better livelihood.

Honua Ola Bioenergy gives me and a lot of locals here in our community good-paying jobs. With local jobs we are able to provide for our families and give more opportunities for our youth, just like the plantations did. Honua Ola will keep local people in Hawaii.

So many locals run off to the mainland for opportunities that don’t exist here. We need to put a end to that. Please help support 200-plus local jobs and guide our state on the right path to 100% clean renewable energy.

Chaz Pinnow

Papaikou

Nitpicking will block investment in Hawaii

If the Sierra Club succeeds in killing Honua Ola’s power project, it will again have one of its false victories, in which it wins the battle but loses the war.

What developers of future alternative-energy projects — or the much-wished-for “diversified economy” projects — will invest in Hawaii with the knowledge that after getting the required permits, government encouragement and spending hundreds of millions of dollars, they can be shut down by some nitpicking, short-sighted organization?

Unfortunately, Honua Ola is not the only example. We have the investors in the Superferry who were treated the same way.

Lloyd Jones

Waialae-Kahala

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