Mr. Frank Kingery ERC ENVIRONMENTAL AND

ENERGY SERVICES CO. Suite 1550 900 Fort Street Mall Honolulu, Hawaii 96813

RE: MASTER PLAN Hawaii Geothermal/Cable Project

Dear Mr. Kingery:

I am writing to express my opinion regarding the proposal to place high tension wires through the District of North Kohala to transmit geothermal generated power to Oahu.

North Kohala is an Historic District, and as such, its unique qualities must be preserved and maintained in the face of extreme pressures to develop. High tension wires slicing through the heart of the district from the mountain to the ocean is incompatible with the District's historic and scenic character.

Also, a very significant public health hazard has been identified with high tension wires. Somehow the electricity conducted along such wires pollutes the areas it passes through and causes people to become sick. North Kohala does not need pollution of this type to threaten the health of the people residing here.

In light of these two important concerns, please study alternatives. We do not want this project in North Kohala.

cc

J

Governor John Waihee State Capitol Honolulu, Hawaii 96813

Dr. Jack Lewin, Director State Department of Health 1250 Punchbowl Street Honolulu, Hawaii 96813

Mr. William Paty, Chairman

Very truly yours,

JEANNE L.

Maurice Kaya

t:•. ~_gt(_L.<J HUGHES 0

Energy Program Adm. Dept. of Business and

Economic Development 335 Merchant Street suite 110 Honolulu, Hawaii

Board of Land and Natural Resources 1151 Punchbowl Street Honolulu, Hawaii 96813

Credit Union Building • P.O. Box 280 • Kapaau, Hawaii 96755 • (808) 889-6142

89:11068-619

MEMORANDUM

TO:

FROM:

Distribution ~__,~ ~ Maurice H. Kaya

August 4, 198@ ~©~~w~ rm

lft\ AUG~ 1 1989llli GEOTHERMAL/CABLE

PERMIT CENTER

SUBJECT: Preliminary Discussion on the Geothermal/Cable Project Master Developo~nt Plan

You or your representative and appropriate staff are invited to a meeting on the proposed Master Development Plan with our consultant, ERC Environn,ental and Energy Services Company, and their primary subconsultants at 8:30a.m., Tuesday, August 29, 1989, in the Energy Division Conference Room No. 109, 335 Merchant Street (Old Federal Building), Honolulu.

Please let us know at 548-4020, who wi 11 be attending from your organization.

MHK/GOL: 1 ta

Distribution:

Duane Kanuha, Hawaii County, Planning Frank Kingery, ERC Lynn Maunakea, Hawaii County, R&D Rick McQuain, HECO Dr. Harry Olson, HNEI Susumu Ono, DLNR John Richarason, HECO Manabu Tagamori, OLNf:V 'or~ oo;}ald-Thonias~· HIG

tS~----»->:JOHN WAIHEE

GOVERNOR

ROGER A. ULVELINGDIRECfOR

ARBARA KIM STANTONDEPUTY DIRECfOR

LESLIES. MATSUBARADEPUTYDIRECfOR

/ ,../ <.'

I' / •

I

. ,i (

.• ", .- ... .... r-- - ; \ I ~: nDEPARTMENT Op·'BUSINESSAND ECONOMIC DEVELQ MENT

•f€. ~'i t ~ i . G ' •

ENERGY DIVISION, 335 MERCHANTsT.';' litI.110,H ONOLULU, HAWAII 968 13 FAX: (808) 531·52 43' (

July 31, 1989

Mr. William PatyChairmanBoard of Land and Natural Resources1151 Punchbowl Street, Room 130Honolulu, Hawaii 96813

Dear Mr. Paty:

Hawaii might be the most energy-vulnerable State in the nation.Imported oil generates 90 percent of our electricity, and as aState, we spend ten percent of all we produce on oil imports.With the growing demand for energy and evolving questions of oilsupply and cost, it would be prudent for Hawaii to decrease thisdependency.

Out of all of Hawaii's alternate energy sources, the one with thegreatest near-term potential is geothermal energy in the Punadistrict of the Big Island. The means to develop this vastresource have been the subject of debate for decades. Unresolvedcommunity, government, and developer issues continue to accompanydiscussions of geothermal energy resources.

In recognition of the importance of alternate energy resources forHawaii's future and of the concerns of the affected communities,the State has now begun a master planning process for geothermalenergy development. A master development plan will be preparedfor geothermal electricity generation in the Puna area and thetransmission of the electricity across the Big Island and to Oahuand, possibly, Maui through a subsea cable. ERC Environmental andEnergy Services Company has been chosen to prepare this masterplan.

The master plan does not intend to establish State energypolicies, but will provide the planning, environmental,engineering, and community relations framework for the State tomake policy decisions on geothermal energy and the manner in whichit should be developed.

A major commitment emphasized throughout the planning process ispublic involvement. We need your input and will be planningcommunity meetings and briefings to keep you informed and toincorporate your concerns into preparation of the master plan.

July 31, 1989Page 2

Enclosed is information on the master plan project and the projectteam.

This is the first step in our efforts, and we look forward toworking with you in the preparation of the master plan forgeothermal energy development and transmission. Yourparticipation and the success of the master plan will help guidethe choices Hawaii must make towards geothermal development thatis environmentally and economically sound.

Sincerely,

//~kJU1;A~1/1<fr-.;--Maurice KayaEnergy Program Administrator

HAWAll GEOTIIERMAL/DEEP WATER CABLE PROJECTPUBLIC INVOLVEMENT PROGRAMFACfSHEET

Public involvement in the master development planning process forthe Geothermal/Deep Water Cable Project is an essential andnecessary component of the program. Both the State of Hawaii andproject management are committed to soliciting public input into theplanning process, to providing information about the project, and toaddressing community concerns.

Major elements of the public involvement program will include:

• Use of printed materials, such as newsletters, to provideinformation on the project, the planning process, and thestatus of the project.

• Briefings to provide in-depth information on the project andits status.

• Coordination with the Puna Geothermal Roundtable, thePuna Community Council, other community groups andpublic agencies to ensure complete and accuratecommunication of important information.

• Selection of a Big Island project liaison to handle questionsand address concerns about the planning process, the MasterDevelopment Plan, the Transmission Line Analysis, and theEnvironmental Impact Statement.

• Public workshops and meetings to obtain input oncommunity concerns, suggested ways to address thoseconcerns, and to pass on information about the planningprocess and its goals.

• Public meetings on the transmission corridor identificationand selection process.

• Public review of the draft Master Development Plan.

• Public scoping meetings in the process of preparing theEnvironmental Impact Statement.

• Formal research as necessary on public OpInIOn and publicissu es involving geothermal resource development andtran smission corridor analysis.

2

HAWAll GEOTHERMAL/DEEP WATER CABLEMASTER PLAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT PROJECTFACT SHEET

The Project:

The Objective:

The Process:

Master Development Plan and EnvironmentalImpact Statement for the Proposed HawaiiGeothermal/Deep Water Cable Project

The Hawaii Geothermal/Deep Water Cable Projectwould develop 500 megawatts of electricity fromgeothermal resources in the Puna District of the BigIsland of Hawaii. The power would be used forstatewide energy needs; power would betransmitted to Oahu and, possibly, Maui via aninterisland underwater cable system.

The master planning project is intended to describehow geothermal development would occur in amanner sensitive to community and environmentalconcerns, in order to assist the State of Hawaii inmaking policy decisions on resource development.The involvement of the public and concernedagencies is a key priority in the planning process.

Master Development Plan (13 months)

The project team will evaluate needs andrequirements for geothermal resource developmentand transmission of power. Environmental,regulatory, technical, and community considerationswill be defined and integrated into acomprehensive development scenario. Proposedcosts, schedules, and management structures toregulate resource development and operations willbe prepared. A public information andinvolvement program will be implemented instages, corresponding to the progress of projectplanning and development.

PlanSchedule:

PrimeConsultants:

Transmission Line Systems 03 months)

The transmission corridor analysis program willseek to make maximum use of previously preparedstudies as a point of departure and to avoidduplication. The program also will validate and, asnecessary, update the resource informationcontained in these studies. Most importantly, it willincorporate community and environmentalconcerns in the evaluation and selection ofalternative transmission line corridors andalternative alignments within the preferredcorridor.

Environmental Impact Statement (9 months)

This task will integrate previously completedstudies and perform additional environmentalstudies as necessary in areas affected bydevelopment. Public meetings and comment will beintegrated with these studies. This data, along withany additional work stemming from public input,will be used to prepare the Draft and the FinalEnvironmental Impact Statements on activitiesassociated with implementing the MasterDevelopment Plan.

The overall planning process will take a total of 19months to complete. At various stages of theprocess, work on the individual tasks will overlap.

ERCE Environmental and Energy Services Company

Pioneer Plaza, Suite 1550900 Fort Street MallHonolulu, Hawaii 96813Phone: 545-2462

Project Manager: Frank Kingery

2

OtherConsultants:

ERCE provides a comprehensive range ofenvironmental, infrastructure, engineering, andenergy consulting services to government andindustry. Nationwide, ERCE employs nearly 900engineers, scientists, technicians, and support staff.

Since it was founded in 1972, the company hasbeen heavily involved in all aspects of thegeothermal power industry. This expertise will beused to determine workable approaches andsolutions for planning Hawaii's geothermal program.

CH2M HILL

1585 Kapiolani Boulevard, Suite 1312Honolulu, Hawaii 96814Phone: 943-1133Senior Project Manager: John Everingham

CH2M Hill has conducted many major transmissioncorridor studies in the State. These studies havedemonstrated distinctive insights into criticalenvironmental resources and a commitment toinclude the public in the corridor and alignmentevaluation and selection processes.

Master Plan and EIS - Gordon Chapman

Socian Impact Assessment - CommunityResources, Inc. (John Knox)

Subsea Cable - Makai Ocean Engineering

Oceanography/Bathymetry - Edward K. Noda andAssociates

3

Botany - Winona Char

Electromagnetic Radiation - Michael Silva

Cultural and Historical Resources - KanaleiShun, Carol Silva

Ornithology - Phillip Bruner

Additional consultants available asneeded.

4