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No matter where the wind industry plies its subsidy-soaked trade, rural folk soon turn hostile. The German wind industry is at a standstill, not only because subsidies have been wound down, but also as a result of furious rural residents – fed up with being driven nuts in their homes, or being driven out of them, altogether by incessant low-frequency noise and infrasound – blocking projects and taking developers to court.

As we’ve reported recently, Hawaiians are on the war path, too.

The protesters number in their hundreds, and their perfectly understandable fury has been met with heavy-handed policing, with over 160 Hawaiians being cuffed and carted away. Here’s a report from NZ’s Maori News on a battle for Hawaii’s heart and soul.

“Bad night” in Hawaii as arrests rise to 161

Te Ao Maori News

Mare Haimona-Riki

16 November 2019

More than 25 people were arrested in Hawai’i overnight, in their attempt to halt the planned construction of eight 170-metre-high wind turbines as part of a wind farm development near the community of Kahuku on O’ahu.

People from the frontline of the 300 strong group, were being forced back by the Honolulu Police Department, pushing people on the frontline back onto women, children and the elderly.

Rebekkah Walker said that it only took one officer to set chaos into motion.

“The cops pulled my son off the line where he was protecting his aunty. They picked him up and threw him on the road and arrested him. This was not ok. This makes me cry and feel a loss of hope…. Tonight was a bad night,” she says.

Honolulu Police Department responded to the events in a press conference held today:

“Because of the geography there, we have to push the people back in order to safely move the trucks.

“The crowd was pushing further and further and the officers have to stand that line, it’s there for safety reasons not to deny anybody anything.”

AES Corporation (AES), a Fortune 500 global power company, will be constructing the eight wind turbines, to be built in Kahuku which has a population of just under 3,000 people.

The turbines will stand at 170 metres tall and will be bigger than any wind turbine in the United States.

Mark Miller, Chief Operating Officer of AES says, “The North Shore Wind Farms is important for Hawai’i’s renewable energy future. When operational in 2020, our wind farm will produce enough renewable energy to power 16,000 homes throughout O’ahu – an important step toward achieving Hawaii’s commitment to reach 100% renewable energy by 2045.”

Kaukaohu Waiolani says the turbines are not only too big but they are too close.

“According to the World Health Organisation, the recommended distance for wind turbines to be from living areas is 5,824 feet (1,775 metres). These are being built 1,700 feet (518 metres) from Kahuku High School and 700 feet (213 metres) from the nearest ag lot farms,” the Waianae community member says.

Despite the number of total arrests sitting at 161 in 32 days, Wahilani says that this protection movement has served as a means to unite the people of Hawai’i as one.

“The unity that is bringing all of our communities together, Waianae and Kahuku where I grew up. We are constantly fighting but now it’s a new day.

“It’s not about Waianae fighting Kahuku, or Farrington or Waipahu, those days are over…. We all are from Hawai’i.”

Te Ao reached out to AES asking for their response regarding their co-operation with the community members of Kahuku concerning this project.

Verla Moore, community liaison for AES Nā Pua Makani responded:

“We are deeply committed to being good neighbours to the residents of Kahuku.

“We respect people’s right to voice their opinions about the project. We continue to have many conversations with community members from Kahuku and the surrounding North Shore neighbourhoods in one-on-one and small group settings to answer their questions, address their concerns and find the most meaningful way to give back to the community.”

Te Ao Maori News

Transcript

News Presenter: More than 25 people were arrested in Hawaii overnight for blocking the road access for the planned construction of eight 170 m windmills as part of a windfarm development near the community of Kahuku on Oahu. Mare Haimona-Riki has all the latest developments.

Mare Haimona-Riki: A community known for its beauty, currently in distress.

Kaukaohu Wahilani: These private corporations come into Hawaii that are not rooted, they’re not vested in Hawaii, only for profits, and then when their project is done, we get left with the rubbish.

Mare Haimona-Riki: As 300 people gathered to impede the shipment of the windmill parts to Kahuku, things began to get heated between the people and the police.

John McCarthy: The big factor is when moving these larger pieces of equipment, it’s the safety. That you’re in a very confined space. When they’re asking these people to move back, it’s for safety reasons. Not, again, not to deny them any rights or keep them out of sight of anything. It’s for their own safety.

Kaukaohu Wahilani: We put out the message to the police officers that, we know they’re not our enemies. We know that they have a job to do, but in the same sense, we too have a job to do and it’s to protect the Aina.

John McCarthy: We respect their right to protest. We respect everyone’s right to protest, but there’s an issue of public safety and there’s the issue of law enforcement. We’re out there to do a job. We’re not taking a side of either the corporate business that’s involved in this, nor the protestors.

Mare Haimona-Riki: People are unhappy with the building of these windmills because they believe they are too big and too close to their communities.

Lei Cummings: These windmills are bigger than any building in Hawaii right now. They will be, and there’ll be the biggest windmills in the United States.

Kaukaohu Wahilani: It’s 1700 feet behind Kahuku High School and Kahuku Elementary. 700 feet next to the closest ag lot farms and 2000 feet away from Kahuku village.

Mare Haimona-Riki: There is a positive out of all this and that’s the unification of the different communities on the island.

Lei Cummings: There are people from, mainly from Kahuku community, but we’ve had people from other communities as well that are helping us from Waimānalo to Waianae, to other communities, which has been a wonderful thing to bring us all together.

Kaukaohu Wahilani: But it’s bigger than Kahuku now because the unity that is bringing all our communities together, because we all are from Hawaii.

Mare Haimona-Riki: The current arrest total sits at 161 people.

Te Ao Maori News