Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 7, 1 July 2011 — The time for geothermal is now [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The time for geothermal is now

The Rock Group The Byrds had several big hits in the '60s, the first "Mr. Tambourine Man," and the second,

"Turn, Tum, Tum." The lyrics to "Turn, Turn, Turn" were based on a passage from Ecclesiastes and a song written by Pete Seeger. It took The Byrds more than 50 tries to get the sound right and the song to the Top of the Hit Parade. Many of us I'm sure from the Boomer Generation know the lyrics front and

back. Here's one verse to refresh our memories: "To everything tum, tum, tum. There is a season tum, turn, tum and a time to every purpose under heaven. "A time to be bom, a time to die, a time to plant, a time to reap, a time to kill, a time to heal, "A time to laugh, a time to weep. "To everything turn, tum, tum. There is a season, tum, tum, tum and a time for every purpose under heaven." In this age of escalating oil prices, a looming opportunity on Hawai'i Island to offset our āepenelenee on oil is Geothennal. As an issue, Geothennal tore our island and our Kanaka Maoli 'Ohana apart in the 1980s. I will forever remember the hostile Geothennal public hearings in Hilo. There were those for Geothennal, those against and no middle ground. At the time I was a proponent for Geothennal; became an advocate because a kupuna I was close to and admired was Mr. Richard Lyman. Born and raised in Kapoho, Mr. Lyman for me was a Renaissance Man, an agriculturist, Territorial Legislator, Bishop Estate Trustee, a Visionary who saw the Future. Papa Lyman as he was fondly known to many of us asserted, "Geothennal is a Gift given to us by Akua ... use it to promote business and industry." "To everything tum, tum, tum

... There is a season tum, turn, tum and a time for every purpose under heaven." Three decades later, I remain an advocate for geothermal. Today's

technology makes it possible to do Geothennal in a culturally appropriate, enviromnentally sustainable, socially responsible and eeonomically sensible way. You don't have to pierce Tūtū Pele's womb. You don't have to leave a major mess behind and destroy the "quiet enjoyment" of a connnunity

as happened three decades ago. With oil prices heading into the stratosphere, demand for petroleum increasing and supply diminishing, Geothermal is the answer to our loeal energy needs. The "hot spot" that produced the Hawaiian Archipelago, whieh extends for 1,400 miles from Kure Atoll to Lō'ihi off of the Puna Coast, has been generating energy and creating islands for 40 million years. Volcanologists say our "hot spot" will be generating heat and 'āina for another one million years. It's estimated the world will run out of oil in 10 years. We have a ready replacement: Geothennal. As a State we spend $5 hillion a year on imported oil; we spend $1 hillion as a County. But my support for Geothennal is conditional. For Geothermal to happen, the corporation that is formed must be controlled and owned by the People of Hawai'i County - a Public Corporation not a Private Corporation and definitely not a Foreign Corporation controlled and owned by carpetbaggers bent on profiteering off of our Trust Asset. Geothennal when it happens will have to benefit the Small n and Big N Hawaiian and the general public. The Byrds took 50-plus tries to get their sound right. Let's do Geothermal right on the first try this second time around. The kala has to stay here. M

Rūbert K. Lindsey, Jr. TrustEE, Hawai'i