 Hello and welcome to Power Up Hawaii, where Hawaii comes together to walk towards a clean, renewable and just energy future. I'm your host, Raya Salter. I'm an energy attorney, clean energy advocate, and also a community outreach specialist. I'm the principal attorney of Imagine Power LLC. Today, we're going to take a look at important energy and utility news from Hawaii, around the country and the world, as reported in the last week. We're also going to take a deep dive into the huge news out of Washington about President Trump rolling back Obama era climate regulations and protections. But first, let's take a look at some recent developments in clean energy and clean energy policy in the islands. So the Maui Energy Conference, which is now in its fourth year, happened last week and it reported the highest number of attendees in its short history. According to organizers in Pacific Business News. So the conference kicked off last Wednesday at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center at Kahului and it's had more than 350 people in attendance. So says Doug McLeod, chairman of the conference program committee. So I think this is great news. I myself in 2014 spoke at the Maui Energy Conference. I think it's a great gathering. I think that people here, we thirst for places where we can come together and talk about, mix it up with folks, new folks, new ideas, just bring new energy and new ideas forward and really get together and talk about them. So it's great that the conference happened. We've got a lot of news that comes out of the conference that we're going to talk about today and bravo that attendance is up so we can see a healthy Maui Energy Conference next year and hopefully long into the future. So moving ahead, a Maui project involving Japan's Hitachi Limited that is aimed at improving the integration of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power and preparing for the widespread adoption of all electric vehicles has just concluded its evaluation phase and is now continuing on to the next phase. So this is great. I think this is another example of new technologies, new models for technologies including electric vehicles moving forward and taking off here in the islands. Folks have talked for a long time about how Hawaii can be an incubator for new technology. Hawaii can show the rest of the world how to do clean energy, encouraging news on electric vehicles coming out of Maui with Hitachi. Moving right along, Pacific Business News reported this week that the Washington, DC-based 21st century utilities is apparently still showing interest in Hawaii's largest utility. Cheryl Roberto from the company, and I'll say actually I used to work for her at the Environmental Defense Fund so I know her quite well, spoke at the Maui conference which was seen as a signal that they are testing the waters. Gene Scog, the outgoing president and CEO, oh actually I see that there's some mix up in the script but that's alright, 21st century utilities. We'll talk about that just a little bit. That is, I think we, a lot of folks thought that the ego companies even though the next era deal fell through but it was still going to be an attractive target for potential suitors who may also look to acquire it and I think 24th century utilities demonstrates that Hawaii remains an attractive space to play for a lot of reasons including those that folks wouldn't expect. So 21st century utilities is not a traditional utility company. They're really seeking to work with the utility that is right to look at a new business model and new ways of doing business. So it's really interesting that I think this has come as far along as it has and I think we'll just have to see. I think there's a lot of anxiety, you know the next era process was very long. I think it must have been expensive and a lot of energy for next era to go through. Another suitor may not be fully scared away by that but they're going to want to take it seriously in terms of what does it mean to go through this process, what is the likelihood of success but I think it's great that that dialogue continues and welcome Cheryl. I wasn't there but I'm sure you gave a fantastic presentation at the Maui Energy Conference. So we're going to pick up a little bit about that electric vehicle project that I had talked about earlier. So the CEO of the Maui Economic Development Board who is a partner in this electric vehicle project with Hitachi said Wednesday at the opening day of the Maui Energy Conference that the Jumpstart Maui project which was launched in 2013 is now building on its valuation phase and outcomes and developing that next phase that will be unveiled in the months to come. So the demonstration has been between Japan and Hawaii and an incorporate smart grid renewable energy and all EV strategies to achieve a cleaner future for Maui. So the Jumpstart Maui project partners and it's a long list but I'm going to go ahead and read them to you. It includes the new energy and industrial technology department organization of Japan so that's a particularly ministry in Japan. The county of Maui, the DBET, the State Department of Business Economic Development and Tourism here in Hawaii, Maui's Economic Development Board, Hawaii Natural Energy Institute at U of H and the University of Hawaii Maui College, Hawaiian Electric, Maui Electric, the US Department of Energy, Mizzou Corporate Bank, Cyber Defense Institute, Advanced Energy Company, Nissan, HNU Energy and Hitachi. So we're talking about a real ecosystem of stakeholders that have come together around this technology. Now the long term goal of this project is to use EVs to create a virtual power plant that will integrate and manage distributed energy resources such as EV batteries and solar within the electric grid for the benefit of the community, it's website said. Food and energy, it's always, I think this is, folks you've got to excuse me because part of this is just my script. Food and energy, it's always been made out, so that I think is the, forgive me, that's the end of the discussion about the EV project. So I'll talk about it just a little bit more. Super interesting because the promise of electrification of the transportation system and when advocates talk in PUCs and talk policy about electric vehicles, it's really important to say electrification of the transportation sector and not just talk about electric vehicles because really the battery that is within that electric vehicle can store energy and then can then be a source of energy. So it is something that electric vehicles hold a lot of promise as an energy source here as we're talking about a virtual power plant. So it's important, we look holistically at the car, we think of it as something that we drive but when it's charged perhaps plugged in at home that battery could be deploying for other power reasons and could provide a new income source for the owner of that vehicle. So it's important that if that value is there we want to extract that value from the good and in this instance it's an electric vehicle so that's great and we'll see what happens with this really intriguing holistic multi-partner collaboration. So I was going to then talk a little bit about the conversation about the food, water and energy nexus that happened at the Maui Energy Conference. So it's often been made out to seem that there's a competition between energy and ag in particular because there is a finite amount of farmland and this is something that Rick Volner who is a general manager of Hawaiian Commercial and Sugar Company was talking about. Now there was a panel at the Maui Energy Conference that talked about water, food security and energy. The conference sponsored by the Maui Economic Development Board and the county as we talked about it became Wednesday and brings together experts on energy and sustainability from across the country. So what the point that Volner was making is that food, water and energy it has to intersect in agriculture and Jonathan Cohn who is a panel moderator and sustainability coordinator for the city of Boulder, Colorado. So water is used to produce food, energy is used to move water and power machinery and the lack of coordination and inconsistency between laws at the national level mean that these three sectors are sometimes out of sync. So on Maui there's right now a contested case about stream flows. The closure of HC and S in December and the state's push towards 100% renewable energy in 2045 have all changed the conversation around water and food and energy. In a prime example of this was Sugar said Volner. The sugar making process also produced molasses and baguettes, the fibrous cane material that helped power the mill. So Volner said there are lots of other opportunities for agriculture to boost energy production and that food and energy don't have to compete for land space. Some portions of land are better suited for growing food, others for energy production he said. So statewide agricultural land use has gone down from nearly 2.5 million acres in 1937 to just under 1 million in 2015 according to state data. But during that same time diversified agriculture has grown from nearly 20,000 acres to about 60,000 acres. So keeping an eye on groundwater sources is part of ensuring water security. Said Jeff Pearson, Deputy Director of the State Commission on Water Resource Management. So the state places sustainable yield limits to make sure groundwater sources aren't overpumped. If certain areas get too close to their maximum yields, management of the areas transferred from the county to the state. So on Maui making sure there's enough water to go around has long been an issue between East Maui farmers and the sugar plantations that diverted the streams from their taro patches. Now that dispute will return to the forefront in June when the contested case will be ready for review according to Pearson. So Volner said that HCES focused the majority of their time and effort in 2016 on really winding down sugar operations. Now it can concentrate on projects like raising cattle, getting local farmers onto former sugar lands and looking at renewable energy opportunities, whether agriculture based a more traditional like solar and wind. So interesting story that illustrates the importance of the food, water and energy nexus. And I think that it's extremely important to note that although there is sunny talk about the need to optimize the use of energy and water and land at this nexus, it is probably after climate change and climate justice whereas Hawaii will face the effects of climate change and rising seas and extreme weather events before other countries even though it did pretty much the least to contribute to it. Other than that justice issue, what will be the justice issue going forward is going to be land use allocation as we move forward towards our renewable energy goals. How are we going to use the land, what will we grow on it? So we'll keep our eye on that but it's really good that there's a groups are really stirring up the conversation about the land, water and energy nexus. So we've got a $167 million power plant currently being built in Central Oahu at the Army's Schofield Barracks and it's expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2018. So says a company executive with the Honolulu Bay's Utility. Scott Sue, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs for the State's Outreach Utility, said at the opening day of the Maui Energy Conference that the initial operation of the 50 megawatt project will run on biofuel and will operate as a micro grid during emergencies. The project is being called the most survivable power plant on Oahu. The Schofield Generating Station is being built on about eight acres that is being leased from the Army to Hawaiian Electric. The utility estimates a monthly increase in a typical customer bill ranging from a dollar, almost $2 to $2.5 in the initial year of the project and a decrease over time. Hawaiian Electric has chosen a Finland company to supply the power plant with six internal combustion engines aimed at enabling the generating station to integrate more solar and energy. So we are about to head to a break and when we come back we'll talk about a few more stories from Hawaii and then we're going to dig into the new Trump executive orders rolling back America's climate obligations and programs. Hi, I'm Tim Appachella. I'm the host of Moving Hawaii Forward, a show dedicated to transportation issues and traffic issues here on Oahu. Join us every other Tuesday at 12 noon and as we discuss how we try to solve our traffic headaches not to include just the rail but transit and carpooling and everything in between. So join us every other Tuesday, Moving Hawaii Forward. Thank you. You want to talk about some socially sensitive issues relevant to women? Listen to these guys. Well, I think it's important in Judaism that we don't take the Bible literally. We take it seriously. Okay. I agree and really the key to understanding Christianity is compassion. If you're compassionate towards other people you are living a Christian life and that relates also to dealing with women and men and women issues as well. Are women and men equal? They're equal. Who's better? Who's better? Depends on what. Hello and welcome back to Power Up Hawaii where Hawaii comes together to walk towards a clean, renewable and just energy future. We're going to continue talking about news as reported in the last week. We're going to spend a little more talking about Hawaii news because there's so much because we had the Maui Energy Conference last week and then we're going to move to what I believe is some very disturbing national news about our president's action on climate. So I guess a bit of good news and we've reported on this before but Hawaii Energy, the rate payer funded energy conservation and energy efficiency program for Honolulu Hawaii in Maui counties accounted for more than 325 million in lifetime savings for its customers in the last program year. So says its top executive at the Maui Energy Conference. Those savings come as the program deals with a 25% cut in its budget. The current budget for Hawaii Energy whose program year runs from July 1 through June 30 is 27 million down from 38 million the previous year. Ryan Kealoha, executive director for Hawaii Energy and speaker at the Maui Energy Conference said that it helped reduce energy use for its customers by nearly 150 megawatt hours. The program, which is administered by Virginia based Lido's engineering LLC under contract through the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission accounted for nearly 40 million in its first year savings for its customers and 325 million in lifetime savings. So Hawaii Energy's efforts in its last program year equate to building a 90 megawatt solar energy farm. So this is just, you know, it's good news and when energy efficiency is done right by apparently a company that has been successful in doing so like Lido's, it just remains to be a really smart use of the dollar. So Hawaii Energy is making the most for the budget it's got, congratulations Ryan Kealoha, congratulations to Hawaii Energy and the team over there, great work. So WECS Solar, a provider of commercial solar and energy solutions announced that it completed the installation of the 27.6 megawatt Eurus YNI Solar project. So the Utility Scale project whose yearly output is equivalent to the electricity used by 11,000 homes is owned and operated by Eurus Energy, an independent power producer and global development of Utility Scale wind and solar projects. So the Eurus YNI Solar project is the largest installation in the state and a significant step towards Hawaii achieving its ambitious goal of operating 100% renewable energy by 2045. So it's built on 200 acres in West Oahu and it sells energy to Hawaiian Electric under a 22 year PPA and at approximately 14.5 cents per kilowatt hour making it one of Hawaii's lowest cost renewable energy projects. So I will make a few comments. So this is great, we've got great Utility Scale solar, lower cost energy that is coming online. Again, as I mentioned before, land use is going to be the justice issue with regards to renewables. So we've got 200 acres on the west side. We've got a company, a global energy company that is owning and operating this and I don't this could, you know, I don't mean to, I don't judge this deal at all in any way shape or form. But I would think that any community would wonder what is this, what is in this for me? What does it mean to have this much land used for this purpose? So I think it's really something that we're going to see more and more of going forward because clean energy is fantastic but utility assets are utility assets and they're not necessarily what you want to live next to, breathe next to, we want to cheer renewable as opposed to carbon based. And so, you know, this is what you would call a community or an energy justice issue, not saying this particular project is but I think going forward we're going to see a lot of issues that we should really look to tackle head on. So as reported by S&P, each year, typically before the start of a legislative session or shortly thereafter, the nation's governors generally give their state of the state addresses before their state legislatures, which highlights the fiscal condition of their states prior your accomplishments and successes, upcoming priorities, yada yada yada. Now as of March 20th, 49 governors have given such addresses. In Delaware, the governor didn't give an address and the nation's governors can have a significant impact on the composition of the agencies that regulate the utilities operating their jurisdictions. Commissioners serving at 35 state level utility regulatory agencies nationwide are selected by the state's governor. In the District of Columbia, commissioners are selected by the mayor. So all of this was to say that Kauai is governor David E. Gaye continues to take leadership and making sure that energy and clean energy is at the foremost of state of the states and this was picked up in this article about government leadership and which is also state leadership, which is also very important in the age of massive changes in the federal environmental regulation. So E. Gaye and Governor E. Gaye in his state address was stated that his state was well positioned to meet our targets and legislation was enacted in Hawaii in 2015 that of course we have our RPS requirements that were previously in place and make sure that renewables are going to be 100% of electricity sales by year in 2045. So this is just something that I wanted to highlight because while I think that we have to make sure that we don't have, RPS can't just be a one-trick pony and we can't just sort of duplicate the effects of deciding to have goals necessarily. I think that as I wake up early and I comb through the news to try and give you guys the latest stuff, it just, it comes up again and again and again in states throughout the country and discussions about clean energy throughout the world that Hawaii is taking leadership, that Hawaii has clean energy challenges and also opportunities and there's a wealth of activity happening here. So you know, great I think that Governor E. Gaye in the state are prominent, very prominent in this national conversation. So now we're going to talk about what I think is extremely difficult and challenging news and we're going to talk about it, we're going to grind through it for a while as reported from the New York Times because I think it's just extremely important and frankly I think people need to mobilize, people need to mobilize and make sure that their opinions on this issue is heard. So today, just a few hours ago, President Trump signed a much-anticipated executive order that's intended to roll back most of President Barack Obama's climate change legacy, celebrating the move as a way to promote energy independence and to restore thousands of lost coal industry jobs. Now flanked by coal miners at a ceremony at the Environmental Protection Agency, Mr. Trump signed a short document titled the Energy Independence Executive Order, directing the agency to start the legal process of withdrawing and rewriting the clean power plan, the centerpiece of Mr. Obama's policies to fight global warming. Quote, President Trump, come on fellas, you know what this is, you know what this says, Mr. Trump said to the miners, you're going back to work. The order also takes aim at a suite of narrower but significant Obama-era climate and environmental policies including lifting a short-term ban on new coal mining on public lands. The executive order does not address the United States' participation in the 2015 Paris Agreement, the landmark accord that committed nearly every country to take steps to reduce climate-altering pollution. But experts note that if the Trump program is enacted, it will all but ensure that the United States cannot meet its global warming commitments under the accord. Mr. Trump advertised the move as a way to decrease the nation's dependence on imported fuels and revive the flagging coal industry. Says President Trump, we're ending the theft of American prosperity and reviving our beloved, I'm sorry. What? And reviving our beloved economy? Well, kind of, sorry. I try to remain impartial, but that is some really strange stuff to say. Our beloved economy, okay. The miners told me about the attacks on their jobs. I made them mispromise. We will put our miners back to work. But energy economists say the order falls short on both of these goals, in part because the United States already largely relies on domestic sources for the coal and natural gas that fires most of the nation's power plants. We don't import coal, says Robert Stavins, an energy economist at Harvard University. So in terms of the clean power plant, this has nothing to do with so-called energy independence whatsoever. Scott Pruitt, the EPA administrator, said in an interview on ABC News on Sunday that the order will help the United States be both pro-jobs and pro-environment. A coal miner at a mine in Welch, West Virginia last May, I guess that's where he said that. President Trump has advertised his executive order as a way to decrease the nation's dependence on imported fuels and revive the flagging coal industry. But coal miners should not assume their jobs will return if Trump's regulations take effect. The new order would mean that older coal plants that had been marked for closing would probably stay open for a few years longer, extending the demand for coal, said Robert Goodby, an energy economist at the University of Wyoming. But even so, the minds that are staying open are using more mechanization. He said they're not hiring people. So even if we saw an increase in coal production, we could see a decrease in coal jobs. Legal experts say it could take years for the Trump administration to unwind the clean power plant, which has not yet been carried out because it has been temporarily frozen by a Supreme Court order. Those regulations sought to cut global planet warming carbon dioxide pollution from coal-fired power plants. If enacted, they would have shut down hundreds of those plants, frozen construction of future plants and replace them with wind and solar farms and other renewable energy sources. So the routest campaign, Mr. Trump highlighted his support of coal miners holding multiple valleys in coal country and vowing to restore lost jobs to the flagging industry. At a rally last week in Kentucky, Mr. Trump vowed that his executive order would save our, I'm sorry, it's just the superlatives, save our wonderful coal miners from continuing to be put out of work. I'm not saying we're not wonderful. While coal mining jobs have dropped in the United States, they do not represent a significant portion of the American economy. Coal companies employed about 65,000 miners in 2015, down from 87,000 in 2008, according to Department of Energy Statistics. So the percentage of coal mining jobs dropped sharply. Economists said it was not driven by the Queen power plan, rather. They blame two key forces. We've talked about this many times before on the show. It's the cheap natural gas, which is cheaper, cleaner burning alternative to coal, although we need to watch out for fugitive methane. And an increase in automation, which allowed coal companies to produce more fuel with fewer employees. The rollback of Mr. Obama's regulations will not change either of those forces, economists say. The problem with the coal jobs has not been CO2 regulation, so this will probably not bring back coal jobs, Mr. Goodby said. The problem has been that there has not been a market to man for coal. The coal industry nonetheless cheered the move. These actions are vital to the American coal industry, to our survival and to getting some of our coal families back to work, said Robert Murray, who's the chief executive of Murray Energy, one of the nation's largest coal mining companies. So I think really what I think, we don't have a lot of time left, but I think the biggest disaster about this is the wholesale con that this is somehow going to bring back jobs for people, that it's not going to bring back jobs to, and instead is going to continue to destroy our planet and harm human health. And it is a disaster by a president who has shown that he is a big supporter of big oil and coal and that's what's at issue here is the interests of big oil and coal and not coal miners who deserve work, honorable work, and deserve to be retrained for jobs that will actually continue to thrive in those parts of the country where I also hail from. So in that said, thank you so much for joining me for another edition of PowerUp Hawaii. I look forward to seeing you next week. Mahalo and Aloha.