March 17, 2015 To: House Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection Rep. Chris Lee, Chair Rep. Nicole Lowen, Vice Chair From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii President Keli’i Akina, Ph.D. RE: SB 717 — RELATING TO ETHANOL Dear Chair and Committee Members: The Grassroot Institute of
by John Engle Hawaii has become a veritable battlefield for the advocates and opponents of genetically modified crops (GMO). Champions of the free market and of sound science have succeeded lately against the relentless tide of anti-science, ideology-driven environmentalism. On Kauai, a federal court has struck down a law that
by John Engle Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have been a hot-button issue in Hawaii politics for years. Champions of organic food, alternative medicine, green initiatives, and others have banded together in an effort to destroy the burgeoning GMO industry in the state. Some at the state and local level, efforts
by Gaetano Venezia I’ve been using Lyft—the disruptive, peer-to-peer rideshare service—for a few weeks now and have been quite amazed with the diverse backgrounds of the drivers. I’ve met musicians, Marines, and perhaps most surprising, a nuclear engineer during my last trip. After going through the usual routine of telling
by Ralph Benko H.L. Mencken, in 1918, observed that “the whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by an endless series of hobgoblins, most of them imaginary.” Much of politics is made up of what is called, in
With the recommendation from the Hawaii Refinery Task Force and the push to persuade Gov. Abercrombie to work towards a Jones Act exemption, we might have finally found the Act’s Achilles heel …oil. It may be frustrating that the other economic woes the Act causes Hawaii’s citizens don’t have quite the
(Grassroot Institute Note: The unsustainability of the Jones Act is becoming more and more apparent as it runs headlong into the energy debate. This article from AEI scholar Mark Perry is especially interesting in light of the recent recommendation from the Hawaii Refinery Task Force that the state seek a
The Hawaii State Department of Business Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) released its Hawaii Refinery Task Force Final Report on April 28, 2014. The report recommends, among other things, the State seek a Jones Act exemption to prepare for permanent closure of the State’s two small petroleum oil refineries. Hawaii Governor Neil
Perhaps it is the complexity of cabotage laws that has led so many to ignore the ramifications of the Jones Act until its consequences are brought home in a real (and expensive way). After all, we in Hawaii have been among those most disadvantaged by the Jones Act, and many
March 20, 2014 To: House Committee on Agriculture Rep. Jessica Wooley, Chair Rep. Richard H.K. Onishi, Vice Chair From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii President Keli’i Akina, Ph.D. RE: SB 2435 HD1 PROPOSED — RELATING TO AGRICULTURE Dear Chair and Committee Members: From ancient times the Hippocratic Oath
March 17, 2015 To: House Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection Rep. Chris Lee, Chair Rep. Nicole Lowen, Vice Chair From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii President Keli’i Akina, Ph.D. RE: SB 717 — RELATING TO ETHANOL Dear Chair and Committee Members: The Grassroot Institute of
by John Engle Hawaii has become a veritable battlefield for the advocates and opponents of genetically modified crops (GMO). Champions of the free market and of sound science have succeeded lately against the relentless tide of anti-science, ideology-driven environmentalism. On Kauai, a federal court has struck down a law that
by John Engle Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have been a hot-button issue in Hawaii politics for years. Champions of organic food, alternative medicine, green initiatives, and others have banded together in an effort to destroy the burgeoning GMO industry in the state. Some at the state and local level, efforts
by Gaetano Venezia I’ve been using Lyft—the disruptive, peer-to-peer rideshare service—for a few weeks now and have been quite amazed with the diverse backgrounds of the drivers. I’ve met musicians, Marines, and perhaps most surprising, a nuclear engineer during my last trip. After going through the usual routine of telling
by Ralph Benko H.L. Mencken, in 1918, observed that “the whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by an endless series of hobgoblins, most of them imaginary.” Much of politics is made up of what is called, in
With the recommendation from the Hawaii Refinery Task Force and the push to persuade Gov. Abercrombie to work towards a Jones Act exemption, we might have finally found the Act’s Achilles heel …oil. It may be frustrating that the other economic woes the Act causes Hawaii’s citizens don’t have quite the
(Grassroot Institute Note: The unsustainability of the Jones Act is becoming more and more apparent as it runs headlong into the energy debate. This article from AEI scholar Mark Perry is especially interesting in light of the recent recommendation from the Hawaii Refinery Task Force that the state seek a
The Hawaii State Department of Business Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) released its Hawaii Refinery Task Force Final Report on April 28, 2014. The report recommends, among other things, the State seek a Jones Act exemption to prepare for permanent closure of the State’s two small petroleum oil refineries. Hawaii Governor Neil
Perhaps it is the complexity of cabotage laws that has led so many to ignore the ramifications of the Jones Act until its consequences are brought home in a real (and expensive way). After all, we in Hawaii have been among those most disadvantaged by the Jones Act, and many
March 20, 2014 To: House Committee on Agriculture Rep. Jessica Wooley, Chair Rep. Richard H.K. Onishi, Vice Chair From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii President Keli’i Akina, Ph.D. RE: SB 2435 HD1 PROPOSED — RELATING TO AGRICULTURE Dear Chair and Committee Members: From ancient times the Hippocratic Oath
To the Hawaii Legislature:
Hawaii families face skyrocketing healthcare costs and a shortage of doctors. Exempting medical services from Hawaii’s general excise tax would result in millions of dollars in savings for residents and help bring doctors back.
