Ferry plans face big hurdle in swelling culture of ‘no’

When Gov. Ige brought up the specter of the Superferry in his State of the State address, it seemed he was using it to contrast his administration’s approach to the Thirty Meter Telescope from the way the Superferry was forced through.

“A few years ago, we saw the demise of the Superferry. Its failure has been attributed to environmental objections and a hostile court. But that is not exactly what happened. The fact is the state failed to follow the law. When we tried a legal end run, it also failed. The point is the state should have followed the law and done the right thing in the first place,” Ige said.

But now it seems he was looking ahead rather than being reflective: Nine new bills looking at the feasibility of a ferry system were introduced this legislative session.

Here we go again. Except things are different now.

Hawaii Superferry launched in 2007 when Linda Lingle was governor, Mufi Hannemann was mayor and June Jones was football coach. Aloha Airlines was still flying. Homelessness was something that was happening out in Waianae. Rail had not yet broken ground. There was still a Sears in Honolulu where you could buy parts for a lawn mower.

Since then, Hawaii has been through the Great Recession. The population of the state has increased by more than 100,000 people. Homelessness is everywhere. The weather has gotten hotter and hurricane warnings happen almost every week during summer. Hawaii lost Dan Inouye’s influence in Washington. An all-out war is being waged against agriculture. Putting your Camry on a boat to Kahului for a weekend jaunt will not fix all of Hawaii’s troubles, though it would be nice to have another choice in interisland transportation.

Hawaii is different now, in part because of what happened.

Beyond the imu rocks and invasive species and millions of state dollars spent on harbor improvements, the Superferry debacle changed Hawaii, though the most significant impacts may not be measured in an environmental impact statement, even one that is properly completed this time around.

Some believe the Superferry protest on Kauai was the beginning of an era of confrontation in Hawaii. Not that there weren’t demonstrations before, but ever since all those surfers jumped into Nawiliwili Harbor and prevented the Superferry from coming into port, it’s as if protesting has become a favorite sport. People seem to look for new things to fight, and that particular style of confrontation has been brought to street corners, public meetings, even elementary school drop-off queues.

Another result: Distrust grew exponentially. The court ruling was proof positive to many that government leaders can’t be trusted to follow rules and to listen to voices in the community. That trust is not won back easily.

Is this now the right time for the Superferry? There are more people in Hawaii now, and many have embraced the power of “no.” It’s a time of stormy seas, literal and metaphorical. The Superferry could be in for another rough ride.

Reach Lee Cataluna at 529-4315 or lcataluna@staradvertiser.com.