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Anyone who’s watching the Public Utilities Commission may be scratching their heads about the sequence of events with Hawaiian Electric Co.
The commission has previously telegraphed its misgivings about HECO leaning in any significant way on liquefied natural gas. That message was part of the Power Supply Improvement Plan review, and in the hearings over the proposed merger with NextEra Energy Inc.
And yet this week HECO came in with a $458 million plan to convert its Oahu generators to use LNG. Perhaps it wants to get the PUC application ball rolling, just in case the panel does give a thumbs-up.
Environmentalists see this as an aggressive we-want-what-we-want push, regardless of its community outreach effort.
Evidence supports safety of GMOs
A new study asserts that genetically modified organism (GMO) crops appear to be safe. The report by the prestigious National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine found no apparent health risks from herbicide-resistant GMO crops, a welcome finding as governments struggle with possible regulations and labeling of biotech crops, as well as related agricultural issues such as pesticides safety.
On Election Day, for example, Maui may have another go at an initiative on agriculture; courts struck down an initiative that voters passed in 2014 to ban GMO farming. This year’s initiative would enable the condemnation and purchase of land exclusively for organic farms.
