We just wanted to follow up to our post yesterday because there was a very interesting editorial in the Maui News today (Wed., April 14, 2010) on page A3 by Tom Stevens in the Shave Ice section.
He commented on the upcoming potential for Maui's Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co. (HC&S) plantation to be converted into an "energy farm." Stevens' thoughts were similar to our post yesterday, that it would be beneficial to our County water needs to NOT have sugar as the major crop anymore. Apparently there is some government funding going to the University of Hawaii and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to conduct feasibility studies for other crops or a conversion of the factory at Puunene into a new high-tech facility.
We would like to say Kudos to Tom Stevens for pointing out some (supposedly) obvious facts that:
1. Different crops could potentially use less water and generate "less dust, smoke and ash at harvest time",
2. That any decision by the state Commission on Water Resource Management next month on whether or not to return water to some streams will ultimately effect the outcomes of what HC&S could potentially grow in the future, and finally
3. Interestingly that despite the option to switch to more drought-resistant options, Stevens' writes that U.S. Senator Dan Inouye (who announced the planned study to send more than $4 million to Hawaii per year in federal funds to this project) says that "HC&S' water needs are not likely to diminish, regardless of what it plants."
Lets, as a community, begin to think outside of the 'Sugar Bowl' and attempt to move towards a more sustainable future for our local economy here on Maui. Thank you, Tom Stevens, for making the most valuable and pointed remark to conclude your piece, that "Maybe we're still, and always, talking about water."
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