The good news is that Hawaii's first passenger ferry service is set to begin, from AP. The bad news: because the new service isn't going to plant any trees or save a small clan of endangered lice, environmentalist nutjobs are fighting to stop it. Surprised?
Environmental groups sought court intervention Monday to ground the first passenger-vehicle ferry service among the Hawaiian Islands.
The groups submitted a motion for a preliminary injunction and requested a temporary restraining order to halt the Hawaii Superferry from using Maui's Kahului harbor until an environmental assessment is conducted.
The Superferry made two sold-out trips Sunday, two days ahead of schedule, after the state Supreme Court ruled last week that the state should have required an environmental assessment before the ferry launched. State transportation officials, noting that the court didn't explicitly say the ship couldn't run, allowed the service to start.
An attorney representing three environmental groups, Isaac Hall, said state law clearly says that a project cannot be launched and state land cannot be used until an environmental assessment is being prepared.
"I'm hoping the judge will agree with us," Hall said. "I don't think operating for one day or two days in absolute bad faith should give anybody a leg up at all."
3 comments:
the environmental impact assessment should have been done and debated in public hearings before the service provider began service. the surfers, kayakers, and other concerned citizens (or "environmental nutjobs" if you prefer) have a right to request standard cost-benefit analysis procedures for social and environmental impact as well as institutionalized opportunities to participate in the decision-making processes that affect their livlihoods and well-being. looking at technical issues, ferries are well-known to carry species from one area to another and provoke invasive species epidemics, and we know in this case that the ferry is going to be enormous and carrying private passenger vehicles to a very isolated island. ill stop now, but those who volunteered to stop the ferry service by direct action because our government and the service provider failed to act responsibly should be thanked instead of insulted.
Ordinarily I would smash you as an environmentalist nutjob. However, you bring up some points that I hadn't heard until a few days ago when I watched Discovery's special on the making of the Superferry. They use a special silicon paint to prevent barnacle and other growth on the hulls, and all vehicles are inspected for foreign biology prior to boarding.
You are probably correct about proper public discussion. If this was circumvented for this ferry, then I do take issue.
I have a love-hate relationship with environmentalists (mostly hate). Most seem to put, for instance, a tiny clan of pocket gophers above the inevitable progression of human civilization. On the other hand, I believe the world would be very bleak without these environmentalists.
www.akha.org
http://www.akha.org/content/policereports/lohguuhmurdered.html
Yes, the CEO of the Super Ferry.
We know this nut job too. He was the one backing a blind drug war in Thailand that the Thais used for ethnic cleansing.
Anyone who can brick bat him for anything has our vote. We like to follow these warriors after they have afflicted humanity and afflict them a bit.
While we contacted him, we stated that the blind drug war mentality is what led to the slaughter of 2003 targeting ethnic people in Thailand, and killing more than 2500 people.
May Admiral Fargo's Ferry Folly have the same luck.
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