Monday, October 15, 2007

please tell officials--

NO SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE SESSION FOR SUPERFERRY!

Please PHONE the governor and State legislators. Their e-mail is maxed out!

Call 974-4000 anytime (from Hawai'i Island)

Governor Lingle…….extension 60034#

Senators……..…….

Inouye…….67335#

Kokubun…..66760#

Representatives…..

Chang….…66120#

Evans……..68510#

Green……..69605#

Hanohano…66530#

Herkes….…68400#

Tsuji…….…68480#

Please TESTIFY AT HEARINGS all islands. Notice may be short--watch for dates and times. Talking points:

Deaths, injuries, and disruption may result if protestors act again.

Hawai'i may suffer permanent damage if Superferry sails without proper studies--whale strikes, stolen imu rocks, noisy coquis, bird-killing mongooses, and more. And it's not just two vessels--Superferry plans five.

We risk a dangerous precedent. "Cutting the heart out of Hawaii's environmental protections to exempt a business that turned a blind eye to the law is no basis for public policy" William Aila of Sierra Club

More lawsuits are possible--to undo results of the special session, or under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Numbers show Superferry may not stay afloat financially in Hawai`i.

Superferry "could easily find work outside Hawai'i as a military transport or civilian ferry", says its "chief financier" John Lehman. Honolulu Advertiser 10-14-07

Wise decisions would be difficult in a special session with a heated atmosphere and tight deadlines.

Are investigations needed?

Was it illegal for the State government, Coast Guard, and Superferry to press on after the Supreme Court ruled an environmental assessment was required?

What exactly led to this crisis with Superferry and $40 million in harbor projects?

Could Superferry's Federal loan payments be deferred to buy time till an EIS is done?