Voice of Stephanie Salazar

HONOLULU, Hawaii – Taking a look at the agenda items of Big Island interest going before the Board of Land and Natural resources on Friday:

At Hilo Harbor, Hoku Kai Biofuels LLC is looking for a 65-year grant of easement for an Underground Transmission Pipeline in order to transfer biofuels from cargo ships to an off-site privately-owned storage facility.

The company – which acquired the old Shell oil asphalt Plant property – will need to publish an enviromnental assessment and have the existing pipeline inspected, tested and certified.

Map shows location of pipeline, from BLNR submittals

Hoku Kai will distribute the biofuels to various power producers as an alternative to fossil fuels.

The land board will also vote on accepting the Master Plan for the Kiholo State Park, as well as the plan’s final environmental assessment.

courtesy Kiholo Master Plan EA

The 4,350 acres along 8 miles of coastline underwent management changes in 2010, as the state looked to run the area as a Wilderness Park.

In a related agenda item, Hui Aloha Kiholo is requesting a permit to fix up the famous Loretta Lynn house at Kiholo and manage it as a public interpretive center.

Loretta Lynn house at Kiholo, courtesy Kiholo Master Plan EA

And then there’s the agenda item that has been getting all the attention this week: Hawaii County is looking to enter into a memorandum of agreement with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources to manage Mauna Kea State Recreational Area.

Mayor Billy Kenoi has been dis-satisfied with DLNR’s handling of the park in recent years.

One person with whom the agreement does not sit well is Jim Albertini, who warned that the county could be accepting unwanted liability should tests for the presence of Depleted Uranium turn up positive. The park is next to the Pohakuloa Training Area which has used DU decades ago in spotting rounds.