Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 30, Number 6, 1 June 2013 — A case for geothermal [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

A case for geothermal

On April 18, 2013, OHA trustees were asked to take a huge leap forward in a decision to join a three-way partnership and respond to a Request for Proposals from Hawaiian Eleetric Light Co. to proceed with a 25-megawatt geothermal project on Hawai'i Island. This proposal represents a major policy decision as we move toward nationhood on (1) swirling passions centered

on the cultural belief systems of Pele, the volcano goddess, (2) geothermal emissions-related health risks to the surrounding community, (3) the geologic volcanology relating to safety, and (4) the economics of geothermal power and the benefit-risk ratio. These issues will play themselves out in time and in the end I firmly believe a decision to support the proposal will be politically and culturally validated by our leap toward a fossil fuel-free future and a better quality of life. While I acknowledge that some of these questions have yet to be fully addressed, I am far more comfortable having OHA (whose participation I believe is critical to a successful bid) pull up a seat at the table, partnering with the Hawaiian Innovations Development Group, and the New Zealand (Māori)-based Eastland Group Ltd., rather than sit on the sidelines and watch some corporate conglomerate from a boardroom thousands of miles away steal this opportunity. Hawai'i's two greatest opportunities for quality growth are natural energy and food production. Geothermal will be one of the legs of the energy stool - it's not a question of if, but when. It's a Native Hawaiian resource and I am committed to keeping it in Hawaiian hands. I believe this is the responsible path to take in our fiduciary duty to our beneficiaries.

The Pele question begs my comment, although a cultural risk on my part. I have the greatest respect for those who believe that Pele is a deity to be worshipped as a goddess and any intrusion into her volcanic domain constitutes the highest form of religious disrespect and is a heinous and culturally intolerable act. Without being judgmental about that belief system, I am of another persuasion, a respectful one, about the goddess Pele. My persuasion is that Pele is important

to Hawaiians and Hawaiian culture in the same way the gods of 01ympus were to the Greek and Roman culture as fundamental to their societal identity and sense of a higher power and universal order. But I also believe that the Hawaiian pantheon of gods such as Kū, Kāne, Lono and Kanaloa (Pele was a demigod), like the Greek and Roman deities, were not infallible. In fact, they were imbued with very human qualities and prone to act out every human passion in ways that were sometimes destructive and hurtful to those who worshipped them. Greeks and Romans routinely challenged the humanness of their gods. The Pele legends I'm aware of cite a life of destruction and selfishness and an abandonment of the human values of goodness and kindness. I am not convinced that geothermal emissions pose any more danger than the alternative. Currently we import and burn fossil fuel, whieh gives off known atmospheric hazards, and there is always the very real danger of oil spills in our pristine waters. I believe the seismic safety issue ean be dealt with. And I believe that the eeonomie benefits of geothermal have been proven in New Zealand to far outweigh the risks. Granted, there are no guarantees. But it is time for us to take the risk, for the rewards are many to our people and our nation.

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PetEr Apo

TrustEE, O'ahu