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Hu Honua Bioenergy LLC filed an emergency motion with the Hawaii Supreme Court on Wednesday requesting an immediate stay of further proceedings by the state Public Utilities Commission until the Big Island company’s recent
appeal to the high court can be
resolved.
The company, which does business as Honua Ola Bioenergy, filed Monday an appeal with the Supreme Court claiming that “the PUC still fully intends to kill Hu
Honua’s renewable energy project again, without a fair and meaningful opportunity to be heard.”
An evidentiary hearing on greenhouse gas emissions had been scheduled for Monday by the PUC after the Supreme Court sent back the case to the agency in May with the instructions to hold the hearing in connection with Hu Honua’s amended power purchase agreement with Hawaiian Electric.
Given Hu Honua’s appeal, the PUC on Wednesday temporarily suspended proceeding with the case.
“Given the unexpected filing of the appeal and the impending commencement of the evidentiary hearing, the Commission will temporarily suspend this proceeding, including the evidentiary hearing, pending further details regarding Hu Honua’s appeal,” the PUC wrote in an order.
Hu Honua plans to burn eucalyptus trees to produce energy at its plant that is 99% complete in Pepeekeo on the Hamakua Coast.
Honua Ola Bioenergy President Warren Lee was happy to see that the PUC is not moving forward with the case for now.
“We are pleased that the PUC has suspended the proceeding, including the evidentiary hearing, in recognition of Hu Honua’s appeal to the Hawaii Supreme Court.”
Nonprofit environmental group Life of the Land, which has been opposed to the plant due to concerns over greenhouse gas emissions, on Monday criticized Hu Honua for taking the case back to the Supreme Court.
“There is nothing in the record that suggests that the Commission has pre-determined the outcome,” Life of the Land Executive Director Henry Curtis said in an email. “Attempting to smear the Commission is heavy handed and wrong.”
Life of the Land appealed the case in 2017 to the Supreme Court because the group said the PUC failed to explicitly consider greenhouse gas emissions in determining whether to approve the amended power purchase agreement.
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