The point is, there will always be those like pakalolo bob–that are selfishly caught up in themselves for whatever reason and dont see the light when it clicks on. Heaven forbid where we all would be if leadership fell on his darkness. Some people are naysayers or nihilists. Others want progress and see the cup have full.

We all enjoy the fruits that computer chip technology and the internet boom brought.
President Clinton forecasted in a ’92 speech that by 1996, 50,000 people would be using the internet. LOL.
Telecommunications kept the same progressive tone–cheaper and faster.

Today, we face an energy crisis and Hawaii’s location makes it specifically vulnerable to foreign fossil fuel market dynamics, fluctuations AND manipulations by the avaricious wall street huskers.

Solar and Big Wind cannot provide basepower needs.
At least for those that do not live in recluse as Bob Petricci. He is a malahini that found his niche in Puna and is determined to change indigenous culture to suit his needs. Petricci is a USER and a drop-out.

AS a legal mind, I support what you say: you need proof to sustain the allegations. very difficult. Still, that is not to say PGV operations are free from culpability. Without getting too techy, their system as well as their equipment is suspect.

When you produce the geothermal fluid to generate power, there is some amount of non-condensable gases (NCG) that exists naturally in the geothermal fluid. These gases are mainly Carbon dioxide (CO2), Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) and some other gases in very small amounts. CO2 is a greenhouse gas which as taxable under the Kyoto Protocol and many countries including the US, NZ and others are taxing power producers and manufacturers releasing CO2 into the atmosphere. It is important to point out that the CO2 released from geothermal power stations is much lower than that released from oil, gas or coal fired power stations.

H2S on the other hand has a bad smell (rotten-egg) and in high concentration can cause health problems and possibly death. The amount of NCG in the geothermal field varies from one field to the other and you can only know that after you drill and test your field.

We need Ormat to Show and Tell.

Yep, Im a proponent of geo-energy. We need cheaper energy, otherwise we all will become like Bob– isolated, disenfranchised and lippin’ CO2 from the fringe of society.

That story about High Chiefess Kapiʻolani is being passed around as some revisionist missionary urban legend, recently as an example of the reason of the Church over the pagan idol worship.

What is ignored in the telling and retelling of that story is Kapiolani was first met by a priestess guardian that placed a curse on her.

It was only a few short years later that Hawaii was overthrown by military force and the native Hawaiians lost all their lands to the US government and the missionaries’ descendants.

To be wiped out as a native culture is one hell of a curse.

You have my opinion that a geothermal plant would probably be a good idea in Iceland and that it sucks here….and you may have read opinions from other people who think that if the Hawaiian nation took advantage of the gift Pele is giving them in a respectful and safe way, instead of just slamming holes to make money, it could be a viable industry for the Hawaiian nation. And I’ll bet you that if the people who argue so vehemently against everything (not just this – we can’t even get an emergency evacuation route out of your area! How stupid is that?)

But it’s not my decision, and it’s really not yours, either. Because what is REALLY going to happen, is that whoever gets the money is going to do what they want at the expense of everyone else. That’s the bottom line. It’s not right. It’s not fair. It just is. And you cannot blame that on whites if you study the old laws for a few semesters. I don’t like it any more than you. But I’m not going to argue with people about Pele or Jesus or anything else except facts. And facts need to be presented in a way that everyone relates to.

Find me three people who attended last night and now know, FROM THE PRESENTATION, the difference between SO2 and H2S. Or even their names. Or which of them combine with H2O to form Sulfurous acid in your lungs. Or why, EXACTLY that people in low-lying areas can suffocate. Those issues should have been the whole point – not that Pele was a Hawaiian Goddess. We know that. Not that white people barely off the plane cannot respect Hawaiians. That’s not true. I can read Ka Hoko O Hawaii as well as many people can read Shakespeare. It is not a white-versus Hawaiian issue. I breathe, too. The issue should have been, full-on, that this shit will kill you if it’s done wrong. Not just people within a couple miles of it. And how and why – and people don’t know THAT. And because they don’t, the 300 or 3000 who are against geothermal ~because of Pele~ will be voted down.

I realize that I’m going to take a lot of grief over this, but my opinions aren’t that much different than everyone else’s. It’s my REASONS that are different and I have good, viable, scientific reasons. And you had them, too. But instead of hitting them over and over, it was turned into an emotional issue about Pele. That plays well in Puna. But it won’t play at all with Abercrombie or Billy Kenoi. And it won’t play well in the population centers of this island – whose people think we are all cowboys/hippies/nutcases out here and tolerate us rather than respecting our rights an opinions. Those voters, and those politicians are the people you have to convince. You sang to the choir last night.

OK, the gas sensors are placed in the wrong places. YES, OF COURSE THEY ARE! Businesses do not follow the intent of the law – or the letter, if they can get away with it.

THE EPA DOESN’Y MONITOR FOR RADIONUCLIDES, EITHER! I was the one person on this side of the island who had a geiger counter online 24/5 through the courtesy of Jim Albertini – because we can (and do, on a daily basis) strongly disagree with each other and still work together. Because although our methods are completely different, our GOALS are the same. When that counter burned out, I didn’t have the money to replace it and I still can’t. But I will, and we will be back on line again as soon as possible. Last night presented the same opportunities.

We could, just as easily, place sensors outside the geothermal plant in low-lying areas, sample what’s really coming out and prove it. We have the technical expertise, but I didn’t hear that suggestion made. What I heard was “We want”. And no one really asked for anything that wasn’t fair or reasonable. But the reasons were “We deserve” and more specifically, “We deserve to be treated fairly”. No argument. But then I waited to hear WHY you deserve to be treated fairly. And the reason was “Because no one has ever treated us fairly and they still aren’t.” And that’s not a reason to change anything.

So you made a great emotional appeal, and have won some lawsuits, and nothing has changed, except that things have happened to you that shouldn’t have and we all know it and don’t like it. But doing the same thing over and expecting anyone to do their part differently had not worked and it isn’t going to work and you have no right to expect it to work, or to demand an apology from me for stating the obvious. But we are friends and if you think an apology is in order, I hereby give it, freely and sincerely to you personally, and to anyone who believes I intentionally maligned them in any way. I will be happy to give the same apology face-to-face, because I AM sincere.

I am not about going in circles. I am about trying to get people to think logically and pursue a course of action that will achieve their goals. But unless people know both sides, they can’t know how to achieve their goals – or even know what their goals are. So I present both sides in as complete a way as I possibly can. And everyone from both sides hates it – because they only want to hear their own side.

I can do that right now. HELCO will not change their business model in order to giver everyone on this island solar – That’s the most reasonable solution and they could simply be in the monopolized business of maintaining and repairing solar and wind installations. That would be the most reasonable and logical solution for all concerned and our power would cost everyone a flat $20 a month. Or even 50. The cost of oil wouldn’t affect us and they’d need a lot more employees. Now what do you think if the PEOLE owned it, as a county co-op resource, and operated it as a non-profit? How long would it take for everyone to agree that nearly free electricity and a forever warranty on parts – and rolling upgrades might be a good idea? The Federal government would shower money on us. We spend a billion dollars a year on oil and coal to run our plants. A billion dollars would give everyone solar, free, forever.

So what will really happen is that HELCO will put in more geothermal plants because they can’t keep raising their prices as fuel costs increase – and they aren’t going to cut into their profits. And if they happen to want to put a plant in where you live, they will just say “imminent domain” and have a kupuna bless the site and that’s that. This isn’t new and it isn’t because Americans came here. I heard last night that no one respects the forests anymore and just bring in D9s to level them. All those D( operators are locals. And where did they get the permits?

This island used to covered with beautiful, old-growth Sandalwood trees. Where did they go?

In 1865, the “Red Flag Law” ended further development of automobiles in England for about 30 years. Under the law, a steam car could go no faster than 4 miles per hour in the country and 2 miles per hour in town. To warn of its approach, a signalman had to walk ahead of the vehicle, swinging a red flag by day and a red lantern by night.

Why can’t the anti people quit living in the past and why can’t they stop perpetuating their lies ???

Here is part one of the actual video presentation,

http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2012/04/25/video-a-case-against-geothermal-part-one/

Tom is saying people can’t understand this? What a low opinion he has of all of us (the hundreds that attended the meeting) and a high opinion he has of himself. Watch the video and see for yourself if people understand what we are saying.

What Tom fails to grasp because he did not make the effort to find out, is many of those people have lived with this for over 30 years, they were the power point. It was about their lives. How could they not understand their own history. If he would have bothered to listen to the community testify he would have learned many of them lived through the blow out, the well kick and the 18 declared civil defense emergencies at PGV between 1991 and 1999, HGP-A and much more. They may not be PHD’s or scientist but they know when they breath that gas they get sick and when their kids breath that gas they get sick. They know where it comes from and what it smells like.

Here is video of some of the community testimony, you decide if they get it. You know, the one “Tom” says can’t understand the presentation.

http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2012/04/25/video-hundreds-pack-puna-hearing-on-geothermal-development/

Further Tom as the video shows, I showed one picture that I said was a well blowout that is all and it is a well blowout I have the article it came from to prove it. You apparently do not know quite as much as you act like you do, and are not as observant as you would have us believe. I will let the video speak for it self. We did get a roaring applause after and countless people came over to thanks us.

I have to say I expected more from Tom. His portrayal of us in the article is insulting to all the people that worked very hard for free to put this together for the community. I think he owes me and the rest of us an apology.

Auwe

Being that it was our first power point presentation and none of the people involved were professionals or got paid but did it as a community service, I am personally offended by Tom’s inaccurate and rude comments. I was at uncle Roberts tonight (Wednesday) and for hours people came up to me everywhere I went and thanked me for that presentation. Your never going to please everyone, the people that worked very hard to put that together were very happy with both the presentation and the response we got from the community and the council, as was the large crowd.

That’s good enough for me to make it worth it. I love it here and I love the people, there is no where else I want to live. I personally want to thank the community for coming out, Diane Thomas, Aurora Martinovich and the Pele Defense Fund and the county council, particularity chairman Domonic Yagong for making it happen. We feel like it was a great success and think it is pretty sad Tom has to try and ruin it for us with such a negative article. Boy I thought I was long winded. Did anyone even read all that? This guy really likes to hear himself. Hope it was worth it Tom.

For anyone that missed the power point presentation, or wants to see it again we have been invited to give it again at Uncle Roberts in Kalapana, in Kona, and on Maui. I will be announcing the times when the schedule is set.

Robert Petricci