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[Editor's
Note: As you read this story, please remember that Rep. Joe Souki and
House Speaker Calvin Say each received 2006 campaign contributions from
the Hawaii Superferry Inc. and on the same day (January 24, 2006)]
Superferry's
summer launch cleared
by Derrick DePledge, 29 March 2007 in The Honolulu Advertiser
Hoping to end any anxiety about the summer launch of the interisland
Hawai'i Superferry, lawmakers killed a bill that would have forced the
state to perform an environmental review of the ferry service's impact
on harbors.
"It is not fair to single out the Hawai'i Superferry and require them"
to do an environmental impact statement, said state Rep. Joseph Souki,
D-8th (Wailuku, Waihe'e, Waiehu), chairman of the House Transportation
Committee.
Souki said in a commentary to The Advertiser that he has decided not go
forward with the bill, a move he said essentially gives the Superferry
a green light to start operations in July.
"It is not fair to require an EIS now, at the eleventh hour, when the
(Department of Transportation) told the Superferry from the start that
one was not required," Souki said. "This sends a terrible message about
doing business in Hawai'i."
The bill, which was passed by the Senate, technically died Friday after
it failed to meet a procedural deadline. But since lawmakers have
discretion to move legislation right up until the end of session, it
was not confirmed until the statement by Souki.
Neighbor Island senators who wanted an environmental impact statement
on the Superferry were disappointed, along with environmentalists who
have unsuccessfully tried to force a review through the courts. The
senators had argued that a review could take place even as the
Superferry launched service between O'ahu, Maui and Kaua'i in July. A
Big Island route is planned for 2009.
But the Transportation Department and Superferry developers opposed the
bill, claiming it was possible an environmental review would have
interfered with the launch.
SERVICE STARTS IN JULY
The Transportation Department had ruled that the Superferry qualified
for an exception from an environmental review and maintained that other
harbor users, such as Matson and Young Brothers, were not subject to
reviews when expanding operations.
"We hope that a better understanding of Hawai'i Superferry and how it
will benefit the people of Hawai'i has reassured many of our elected
officials," John Garibaldi, chief executive officer of Hawai'i
Superferry, said in a statement yesterday. "Over the past nine months,
we participated in 22 public informational meetings throughout the
state with the Department of Transportation and will continue our
efforts to educate and inform everyone about Hawai'i Superferry.
"We are looking forward to the arrival of our first vessel and the
start of service in July."
Souki's position was widely known inside the state Capitol, but
lawmakers who wanted an environmental review hoped public pressure
might change the political climate.
The Environmental Council, which advises the state on environmental
issues, came out with an opinion in February that the Department of
Transportation failed to consider the cumulative effect of the
Superferry when it ruled an impact study was not needed. Some thought
the council's opinion, combined with the concerns from county councils
on the Neighbor Islands, might be enough to advance the bill.
END OF STORY?
Environmentalists have claimed that the Superferry will have an impact
on harbor traffic, invasive species and humpback whales that should be
measured by an environmental review.
"Hopefully, we can minimize the impact by trying to address some of
these issues in other ways," said state Sen. Shan Tsutsui, D-4th
(Kahului), who said lawmakers would continue to encourage the
Transportation Department to pressure Superferry to respond to the
concerns.
State Senate Majority Leader Gary Hooser, D-7th (Kaua'i, Ni'ihau), said
Neighbor Island senators had pushed for the bill because they were
responding to their communities and they believed it was the right
thing to do.
"Somehow, I don't believe this whole thing is over with," Hooser said.
State House Speaker Calvin Say, D-20th (St. Louis Heights, Palolo
Valley, Wilhelmina Rise), and other House leaders had questioned the
logic of forcing an environmental review after the state has already
agreed to spend $40 million on harbor improvements to help Superferry.
House leaders said, however, that it was left up to Souki, as the
chairman of the committee that oversees transportation, to determine
whether to hold a hearing.
Isaac Moriwake, an attorney with Earthjustice, called Souki's decision
undemocratic.
"I think it's very regrettable that one person can hold up this
expression of a groundswell of public opinion," he said.
Souki, in his commentary, said the issue was fairness.
"There are other companies that use our harbors, travel in our waters,
and essentially impact the state in the same manner," Souki wrote.
"Some carry only passengers, some only cargo such as cars, and some
carry produce and other products, including cattle, nursery plants, and
other animal and plant life that have the potential of carrying
invasive species.
"Some of these companies have been doing business throughout the
Islands for close to a century. However, not one of them was required
to do an EIS under existing law."
The Superferry plans to begin service between O'ahu and Maui and O'ahu
and Kaua'i in July.
The cost of a one-way passenger ticket will be $60 on peak days (Friday
to Monday) and $50 on off-peak days (Tuesday to Thursday), according to
the company's Web site, hawaiisuper ferry.com. The cost for a car or
sport utility vehicle will be $65 peak and $55 off peak. Travel between
O'ahu and Kaua'i and O'ahu and Maui will take about three hours.
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