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East Maui irrigation licensing under review; board awaits BLNR consideration and county set-aside discussion
Summary
The East Maui Regional Community Board reported a missed update with Mahi Pono and described a pending BLNR hearing on whether to issue a long-term license to Mahi Pono or set aside management to Maui County; Chair Jonathan Scheuer said she authored a resolution urging a county set-aside.
Chair Jonathan Scheuer reported that the East Maui Regional Community Board did not meet with Mahi Pono this month because of staffing issues. She said an April 10 presentation on the county's ability to take over management of the East Maui irrigation system was canceled because of a storm and state office closures on Oahu, and that the topic will appear on a future agenda.
Scheuer summarized recent state-level action: she said the Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) proposed, for the third time, starting a contested case considering either issuance of a long-term license to Mahi Pono or a government set-aside to Maui County. Scheuer said Mahina Poepoe had introduced House Bill 2434, which sought a county right-of-first-refusal for water licenses but did not pass out of committee; Scheuer said she authored a resolution encouraging a BLNR set-aside to the county. The board did not take formal action on a position at this meeting; Scheuer said she expects the East Maui update to return on a future agenda.
Why it matters: the BLNR decision and any legislative change affect who controls operation and management of the East Maui irrigation system and thus local water allocation decisions.
