City’s rules on wearing masks difficult to find
The confusion on mask wearing starts with the counties because the state law directs people to comply with county ordinances.
Take the City and County of Honolulu, for example. Mask-wearing rules are strewn across tons of proclamations. You cannot even go to honolulu.gov and search “COVID-19 face mask wearing rule public” to get a clear, concise answer.
The closest statement that eventually comes up is, “Residents and visitors on Oahu are required to wear masks in public whenever social distancing isn’t possible.” To many the translation to that is, “I don’t need to wear a mask all the time that I am not physically within 6 feet of any human being. I just need to wear it when I come within 6 feet distance, and once I’m clear of that 6 feet distance I can immediately remove my mask.”
The mayor needs to clarify this ASAP. The (traveling) world awaits.
Von Kenric Kaneshiro
Downtown Honolulu
What is Larry Ellison’s plan to tackle COVID-19?
I am so dismayed by a recent media report that said the COVID-19 cases on Lanai are now up to 67 from zero, all within an extremely short period of time. We see quotes from residents, county and state Department of Health officials, as well as a recently implemented government lockdown.
But I have not seen any reference to the proactive measures that Larry Ellison has implemented or proposed. He reportedly owns 98% of the island of Lanai.
Cyrus Siu
Kaunakakai, Molokai
People must understand reason for safety rules
I am currently working three part-time jobs that are considered essential, even though I am 68 and considered retired.
I have observed drivers being idiots on the road (to use the Maui mayor’s definition); people still hoarding essential paper and disinfecting products; people not social distancing and not always wearing masks, thus jeopardizing my health and my family’s.
I haven’t gotten sick because I wear my mask in public except when I’m driving alone. Everyone needs to realize that this is not a hoax or something that can be ignored.
Issuing citations doesn’t stop the idiots; education does. If we do not respect the rules, pay the price, yes. But everyone needs to see why. It is not about individual rights. If that is so, go live by yourself and see why the rules are for everyone. Communication is the key to total understanding.
Glenn Fujii
Pearl City
Many trees planted for Hu Honua energy plant
Henry Curtis misleads Star-Advertiser readers in his response to four Hawaii governors endorsing the Hu Honua Bioenergy project (“Former Hawaii governors support Big Isle energy project,” Star-Advertiser, Oct. 23).
His statements, “Hu Honua is not going to plant a single tree,” and “Hu Honua fought us tooth and nail and said chopping down trees and planting trees is not part of the proceeding,” are both false.
I am the project’s forestry partner, and my company, The Nursery Inc., planted the original 10 million eucalyptus trees. Contrary to Curtis’ claims, we are already planting additional seedlings on acreage adjacent to the Honua Ola facility.
The commitment to continue planting trees in excess of those harvested to generate clean renewable energy is filed with the state Public Utilities Commission, again contrary to Curtis’ statements.
I have made significant investments in upgrading my equipment for large-scale planting and am ready to go when an amended power purchase agreement is approved.
Guy Cellier
Kailua-Kona
Solar energy better than CO2 from Hu Honua
Something very strange is going on when so many politicians and, now, former governors, insist on denying the reality of Hu Honua, the CO2-spewing plant proposed for the pristine Hamakua coast of Hawaii (“Former Hawaii governors support Big Isle energy project,” Star-Advertiser, Oct. 23).
It is not carbon-neutral. It burns eucalyptus trees. Even if new trees were planted, they would never make up for the climate change.
Hu Honua has been caught dumping polluted water that went into the ocean.
Finally, our own Public Utilities Commission found that newly approved solar energy farms will produce electricity at one-quarter of the price, with the price dropping by the year, and with more jobs created than at Hu Honua.
Why would anyone support such a project, financed by a California billionaire who sold shares to investors so they reap millions in profits from us?
Hu Honua cannot be allowed to open.
Mark A. Koppel
Hakalau, Hawaii island
Cal Thomas misguided on clean energy future
Cal Thomas wrote that “risking our future on unproven claims and predictions based on wishful thinking has a bad track record.”
But to make his point, he cites people who were “laughably” wrong in their negative predictions about the potential of rail travel, the telephone, the light bulb, talking movies, radio, television, flight and computers (“Biden’s cultish energy plans would cripple U.S. economy,” Star-Advertiser, Oct. 27).
Huh?
When he calls electric cars a “radical lifestyle change” and says that “current technology does not support battery life sufficient to drive long distances,” he sounds exactly like those narrow-minded naysayers who got it completely wrong about those previous technological breakthroughs. Might some innovative thinking enable the U.S. to improve the current technology and allow for a breakthrough in clean transportation?
Finally, saying that “there are wrong predictions of climate change catastrophes that never materialized,” while hurricanes and wildfires pummel the country, demonstrates a painful and willful ignorance that further undermines his credibility.
John Cheever
Kalani Valley
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