Another interesting note from constituent on Kauai:

Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2007 9:17 AM
Subject: RE: pls. support the Superferry

Hello,

I was told , that Sen. Gary Hooser signed the waiver of EIS on 2005 on some
legislation session paper for Superferry. How now he's changed. Is this position,
is this true?

Resident of Kauai,
Aloha,

My response as follows:

Thanks for your note to my office manager who just passed it to me. I am rushing to go to the Big Island for today's hearings, but will try to jot down a few thoughts on this important subject.

The situation you are referring to is probably a reference to a 2004 Senate Resolution that supported the Superferry's operations and which was passed unanimously in the Senate. I did sign and vote in support of that Resolution and at the time thought the Hawaii Superferry was a good idea. It is important to note that the Resolution did not request or grant any exemptions to Hawaii's environmental review law.

Myself and all of my colleagues in the Senate initially supported the concept of the Hawaii Superferry (via this Resolution) when it was first presented to us in 2004. However, when we learned in 2005 that they were requesting $40 million in State funded harbor improvements and that they were also requesting an exemption to the law requiring an environmental review- many in the Senate began having serious reservations about the company, the project and the process. The environmental review law is pretty straightforward and it is very common for projects using state land or state resources to have to go through at least a preliminary environmental review (Environmental Assessment or EA). In 2005 I voted in support of a Senate Bill that would have required an Environmental Impact Statement. In 2006 and 2007 I continued working with some of my Senate colleagues in trying to get the company and the DOT to be more accountable and to conduct the environmental review that the Hawaii Supreme Court and the Maui court ultimately said was required by law.

So the short answer is that yes, I did support the Superferry when it was first proposed but I have never supported exempting them from the environmental review process. Since 2004, I have found that many of the things told to me initially by the Hawaii Superferry proponents have turned out not to be true. The more I have learned about this company and the manner in which this entire matter has been handled by the DOT during this past almost 4 years, the more concerned I am about the entire process that preceded the granting of the exemption.

I would be happy to speak with you in greater detail about this matter at some point. I did get your telephone message and hope this email addresses some of the questions you have. It is unfortunate that our state has found itself in this situation. Though I am open and sincerely wish all parties could come to a positive resolution - I am not optimistic at this point that a solution that is "fair" and honor's the spirit and intent of the law will be found.

Sincerely, gh



Senator Gary L. Hooser
Senate Majority Leader
Hawai'i State Senate
Seventh Senatorial District - Islands of Kaua'i & Ni'ihau
Office: (808) 586-6030 Toll Free: 274-3141, ext. 66030
Fax: (808) 586-6031 Email: senhooser@capitol.hawaii.gov

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