This detailed report outlines the issues around the current energy and fuel usages and productions, and presents alternatives in the second half. Very informative! Great reference for the PEIS meetings!

Click here for PDF of Life Of the Land PEIS

Excerpts:

PART II: FOSSIL FUEL IMPACTS

Hawai`i Fossil Fuel Impacts

Hawai`i’s Top 3 Dioxin Emitters are all power plants: (1) AES Coal

Plant; (2) HECO’s Kahe Generation Station; and (3) HECO’s Waiau

Generating Station.

Hawai`i’s Top 10 chemical polluters are six electricity generation

stations, two refineries and two military bases: (1) HECO’s Kahe

Generation Station; (2) Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam; (3) Chevron

Refinery: Kapolei; (4) HECO’s Waiau Generating Station; (5) MECO’s

Kahului Generating Station; (6) HELCO’s Hill Generating Station: Hilo;

(7) AES Hawaii: Kapolei; (8) Tesoro Refinery: Kapolei; (9) US Army

Pohakuloa Training Area-Range Facility; and (10) MECO’s Maalaea

Generating Station.

PART III: THE CURRENT ELECTRICITY QUAGMIRE

Mayes introduced the concept of “cascading natural deregulation.” As

the cost of renewable systems trends downward and electric rates go

up, those who can leave the grid, will leave the grid.

The fixed costs associated with energy production, transmission, and

distribution will then have to be absorbed by the remaining (smaller)

rate base still on the grid.

Those who remain on the grid will then see their rates go up even

more, which in turn provides ever stronger incentives for more people

to opt out of a centralized grid, driving ever higher the rates for the

diminishing number of ratepayers who remain.

 

PART IV: WHAT IF …?

What if Options: Alternative Plans

The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) oversees the National

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). CEQ requires that reasonable

alternatives MUST BE evaluated in Environmental Impact Statement

(EIS) if they are technically and economically possible and based on

common sense.

Life of the Land believes that this EIS offers the opportunities to lay

out alternating future scenarios for evaluation. There is an absolute

need for the PEIS to present a balanced estimation of the positive and

negative consequences of different, reasonable alternatives.

There are a number of game changers that are being discussed in

utility circles, including Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC),

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), Wave Energy Conversion Systems

(WECs), Algal Biodiesel, Storage, DC Grids and Self-Generation.