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Residents press DHHL and trustees for consultation after geothermal talk; safety and consultation concerns raised
Summary
A beneficiary at the OHA meeting said DHHL identified five potential geothermal sites (including one at Lualole) and raised health, seismic and consultation concerns; trustees and DHHL did not resolve the concerns during the session.
Doreen Myers, an OHA beneficiary and homesteader, told trustees she attended DHHL’s site visit and voiced alarm about geothermal proposals on DHHL lands, including an identified site at Lualole on Oʻahu. “My first concern is that he spoke about using a partner that claims to have consulted experience in with New Zealand geothermal,” Myers said, naming a consultant and asking whether DHHL had vetted that firm and conducted beneficiary consultation.
Myers said beneficiaries in Waianae Moku had not been consulted and raised health and environmental concerns, including possible seismic effects and groundwater contamination, and noted proximity to the Naval Magazine and underground bunkers. Other public commentators and trustees later reiterated the need for beneficiary consultation before any permitting or contracting decisions proceed.
DHHL presenters acknowledged community sensitivity and said the department will continue outreach; no formal schedule for consultation or a recorded decision about geothermal siting appeared in the meeting record.
