The tree-burning biomass plant is 99% complete in Pepeekeo, though it’s not the construction but the authorization that now stands in the way for Hu Honua Bioenergy LLC.

And with the state Public Utilities Commission again turning thumbs down on the Hawaii island project, citing the greenhouse gas it will produce, Hu Honua is sure to seek reconsideration by the PUC, or relief in the court.

Changing technologies can hugely factor into the legal twists and turns on Hawaii’s path toward energy sustainability.