Superferry Parody & Report on Kahului EIS Meeting

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For those of us who thought that the new Harbors Director, Mike Formby, might be a change from DOT' usual approach of rolling over the neighbor islands without regard to their desires, it looks from remarks he made to KGMB9 that he's going to give us the same runaround as his predecessors.

Groups like the Maui Sierra Club and Save Kahului Harbor disliked both ideas. One of their main concerns was the impact on surf spots. State officials admitted the changes will affect some of the surfing sites.

"There are many, many problems with safety and just practicality. They are fast-tracking it and ignoring these problems," said Karen Chun, a spokesperson for Save Kahului Harbor and the Sierra Club.

"If they come forward, put their concerns on the table, we have an opportunity to mitigate the impact to the recreational interests as much as possible," Formby said.

Opponents said paddling should not be labeled as recreation but as a key cultural practice. They also worried the plan would make the turning basin used by tugboats unsafe.

"We can come up with a plan that expands the harbor outward which really does set us up for 2030 instead of inward. Basically, they're not looking at what's best for Maui," Chun said.

"I think what we try to do is accommodate the commercial interests and at the same time have as little impact on the recreational interests as we can," Formby said.

In other words, "we don't care about Hawaiian culture - in fact, we're redefining it as "recreation" which we don't care about either."

100 people showed up at DOT's 3 hour meeting. Out of all the speakers who were limited to 3 minutes each) only one supported the harbor plan and his position was that all cultural and recreational use should be eradicated from the harbor.

But where were our Mayor and County Council members?

Two consistent themes emerged: We should not be destroying Hawaiian cultural practices for the cruise ships and superferry and the plan is impracticable and unsafe.

Some of the comments:

Foster Ampong: "What is all this development for? It serves corporate interest. I am kanaka maoli. My ancestors have lived in the Pacific ocean without any help from others and we lived sustainably. Any more expansion will not promote sustainability for the people – it will sustain corporations. We don't need to expand the harbor – we need solutions. Remember, the Hawaiian achieved sustainability we know how to do it. the state government is actually doing the opposite, if you want to promote corporate interests and make the wealthier wealthier and the poor poorer this is the way to do it."

From Mike Commings, long time surfer: "This plan only address it from an economic view, but what are the implications of displacing thousands of surfers, paddlers and kids who are enjoying this instead of rampaging our streets. Nobody can figure this out because there is no formula they can use for this. Pono a really simple word - doing something from the heart, do it right. Past dredging of the surf basin did not create the surf site. 1881 charts tell us reef has been in existence for a long long time. In 1937 Kahului canoe club used Kahului Harbor. Eddie Aikau used to live across the street . I am not endorsing any type of improvement that eliminates these surf sites."

Karen Chun, Save Kahului Harbor and The Sierra Club: "This plan destroys the Kahului Surf Break and the paddler's race course. But you say it has "no significant impact" on cultural practices. You reclassified Hawaiian Culture as recreation. For DOT to define and dismiss Hawaiian culture like this is disrespectful. Only the Hawaiians can define their culture."

"I won't say any more on this because you don't give a rat's ass about Hawaiian culture and you don't give a rat's ass about what Maui wants."

"So I'll speak to you as an engineer with a masters degree from the University of California: This project is unworkable and unsafe."

"The harbor pilots told you that you cannot reduce the turning basin without seriously impairing safety. They told you not to lengthen Pier 2 but you're doing it anyway. You can't put a breakwater along the west side of the turning basin. That is where to tugs go to maneuver the ships. "

"In the 2020 plan the Army Corps of Engineers told you a breakwater at the harbor mouth won't tame the west surge. How are the ships going to make the U turn into Pier 5?"

"This plan looks like it was created by cruise ship lobbyists instead of engineers."

"Our lawyers tell us, 'always give them an alternative'. So here's ours:"

"Make a no-cost policy change of docking freight before cruise ships. Instead of leaving the freighters waiting for days while the cruise ships tie up for 35 hours at a time, switch it around and leave the cruise ships out there until there is an empty berth. This buys us time to do this right so the plan really will take us to 2030 instead of wasting our money on an infeasible and unsafe rushed plan."

Joyclin Costa used passages from the Bible to make pointed barbs at DOT, "As a kanaka maoli we are a very spiritual people. If you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property....” Public law tells you that our lands were never ceded – one of the areas that was not ceded was Kahului Harbor. Whereas the indigenous people never relinquished their lands. I find it appalling that on that chart it states that archaeological and cultural significance is none. You are looking at an extinct specie – a Hawaiian. I hope you can see and hear me because we do exist and we have rights. I would like to take you back to the 1980s in front of Y Hata where a gigantic shark pulled out of the water – that was someone's aumakua. Has anyone asked the families if they have aumakua swimming in those waters?

Kalena Eaton, a young Hawaiian: "I am representing myself and the rest of my generation. I'm speaking like aunty from my na'auo. We are connected to our ancestors, the generations to come and to our land. By taking away our cultural activities you are taking away our culture. I went to school on Oahu and it was a mess from fast tracking. You are taking away a part of our lifestyle."

Hannah Bernard from Hawaii Wildlife Fund and Surfriders: "Tonight I just want to speak from my heart. The feeling from Maui is that we are left out and it is serving Honolulu's needs and not Maui. Who is this for? Will we really have big cruise ships and the superferry in 2030?" She went on to talk about the escalating fuel costs and the fact that economists say that fuel reserves are dwindling which will affect the way in which we use fuel. This will, in turn, affect frivolous uses of fuel such as cruise ships and the Superferry.

Momi Awo: My mom grew up in kahului my grampa was a stevedore. He worked and fished in the harbor Give equal weight to our activities. There is a spiritual connection between the things we do. We live in an island state and when you do your assessment you have to give weight to that. We are all here for the spiritual things that Hawaii gives us and we cannot forget that. When people think of fishing diving surfing padding as recreational they lose their value and that is not right. we need more opportunities to practice the things that give us wellness and wellbeing in a spiritual way. There's a lot of work to protect land and we must expand that to the water. You have a very heavy responsibility to respond to us and to protect those places that will give us continued spiritual wellbeing.

Johana Kamanu: "We don't look at the word land the same way you do. 'aina does not mean land. 'ai means eat or feed 'aina is that which nourishes us and we need to nourish the land so it can fed us. I feel these meetings are just a way a addressing requirements and not a way for us to have a valid statement. I don't feel this is a valid meeting. I can no longer let you folks do what you want to do without some accountability and without letting you know I don't appreciate what you're doing. "

Iokepa Nae'ole: "We get labeled as the vocal minority but where's the silent majority that you say complain about us?" (Looks around the room to the 100+ people all opposed to the harbor plan.) "I pray to Akua that the people building this aren't the same ones who built the 3 lane highway up to Haleakala and the HSF. I grew up in the harbor. In 1974 I started paddling. I found my role models. It's my church. and sometimes its my fish department at Safeway. Instead of watching TV we'd drop crab pots off pier 2, throw net come home with enough mullet to feed the whole street. Recreation is not the proper term for what we do. I could fill this room 3 or 4 times with kids who are pono people from their experience in Kahului Harbor. As a Hawaiian you want to do enough good things that when you die you are 'aumakua. 'nuf already.

Leilani Miranda – teenager, Hawaiian Sr at St Anthony. "You usually don't see students my age but we should see more because it will affect us. I want to know if this is going to affect you guys. Are you guys even going to listen to us? Is this going to even count for anything? You didn't look at us. Are we just passing by?"

And finally, these gems:

"Let the cruise ships cruise...not park!"

"We had No Significant Impact on DOT"