Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Native‑led geothermal pitch prompts sharp public opposition and trustee questions
Summary
A native‑led geothermal developer asked OHA for a $5 million founding investment in a Hawaii Island project; the pitch prompted sharp public opposition and trustee requests for written documentation and independent analysis.
A native‑led consortium called WICA (presented under Vika Consulting) on Nov. 6 asked the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to take an early investor role in a proposed Hawaii Island geothermal project, offering a “native‑to‑native” governance model and a special purpose vehicle structure that the presenters said could yield 5–10 times OHA’s investment over decades. The presenters asked OHA to invest $5,000,000 to secure a founding limited‑partner position and influence governance and benefits.
How WICA framed the project: presenters, including former trustee Leoma L. Solomon, Kavehi Correa and Ryan Matsumoto, described geothermal as a “base load” renewable resource that could support energy independence, local jobs and long‑term revenue, and argued geothermal is legally a mineral belonging to the public/cursed lands and therefore subject to native Hawaiian interests. WICA proposed a special purpose limited partnership in which OHA would be a limited partner, WICA…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
