Off the news: Maui sees setback in Lahaina landfill plan
COURTESY MANOA KAIO MARTIN
The decision to temporarily store wildfire ash and debris at the Olowalu dumpsite is the subject of a lawsuit by two Maui residents.
Maui County’s struggle to recover from the devastating Aug. 8 wildfire continues, with a federal court on Monday denying a motion to expedite an eminent domain acquisition of 20 acres in Central Maui to expand a landfill for fire waste and municipal refuse.
The land owner, Komar Maui Properties I LLC, said its land is grossly undervalued and offered to hand over the plot in exchange for 20% of $44 million in landfill tipping fees the county is slated to receive from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. That’s well over the $830,000 in fair compensation approved by the Maui County Council.
Meanwhile, Lahaina ash and debris sits, awaiting a permanent resting place.
