Did I hear correctly? Was that KHON’s Joe Moore talking about small penises in the waning moments of last night’s 6 p.m. news? According to Moore, the Ford “Pinto” had to be given a different model name in Brazil because, in that country, “pinto” is slang for a small penis. I can’t help wondering whether there was a news producer suprised by that riff? I certainly was.
It looks like Doug White got this one right. Yesterday I noted his analysis of the condition included in the federal loan guarantees granted the Superferry. And earlier in last night’s newscast, KHON’s Gina Mangieri reported that the director of the Maritime Administration denied that his agency imposed a “no environmental review” requirement on the Superferry’s massive loan guarantee, contradicting the story line offered by both state officials and the Hawaii Superferry’s spin machine.
But the head of the administration, Sean Connaughton, says that was not the case.
Connaughton says the maritime agency only wanted proof of the state and Superferry’s prior claims that the harbor improvements could be exempted from review.
“Obviously the vessel has to meet every environmental requirement,” Connaughton said. “The vessel and the operations do have to meet whatever applicable standards that may exist.”
And Derrick DePledge and Joan Conrow report in this morning’s Advertiser that Kauai Rep. Mina Morita has asked the PUC to pull the Superferry’s operating certificate until it has shown full compliance with environmental laws. The story credits the piece I wrote on the issue in the current Honolulu Weekly, which won’t be available online until next week.
There are some interesting nuggets in this profile of Hawaii Superferry’s principal investor, John Lehman, described as being ” the center of the military-industrial complex” and having a “penchant for ideology and political agendas over fact-based intelligence”.
My piece on Dongbu Insurance that appeared in the last issue of Honolulu Weekly (Big Hurricane, Big Problem) is now online.
America’s Most Wanted is featuring an update on a Hawaii serial killer. Probably not the kind of national attention we really want right now.
A reader passed along this tidbit:
Youtube has a FIAT commercial with Iz singing. Googling “kamakawiwoole fiat” results in 23,000 hits! FIAT hasn’t sold Fiats in the US since the 1980s I think. Fiat pulled Alfa Romeo out of the US and Canada after the 1995 model year, but Alfa is supposed to return soon.
Friday’s feline is the late Kuma, who died yesterday after a lengthy illness. He was the beloved cat of a friend and faithful reader who had struggled to deal with Kuma’s mysterious weight loss over the past year or more. He was a most handsome cat, as you can see. Aloha, Mr. Kuma.
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Thank you for your earlier comments on the Advertiser’s coverage of the MARAD loan guarantees.
The Advertiser has reported that the MARAD loan condition for Superferry was that the state has given all governmental and environmental clearances, including confirmation that there is no need for an environmental assessment of the port facilities.
The MARAD condition was in January 2005, a month before the state determined in February 2005 that no environmental assessment was required.
The Advertiser has not reported that MARAD required the state not to do an environmental assessment. That decision was entirely up to the state. We have reported that the state was aware of the condition and that Superferry had said that an environmental assessment could jeopardize its loan guarantees.
The Advertiser asked MARAD to explain the origin and need for the loan condition:
Here was MARAD’s response:
“As part of the Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) due diligence review of Federal Ship Financing Loan Guarantee (Title XI) applications, in addition to determining that a project is financially, technically, and economically sound, the Maritime Administration also determines that the project is environmentally sound. Accordingly, all Title XI applications are reviewed by the Maritime Administration’s Office of Environment and Compliance (formerly Office of Environmental Activities) to determine if there are any outstanding environmental issues or risks.
In connection with the Maritime Administration’s review of Hawaii Superferry, Inc.’s (HSF) Title XI application, it was determined that because this was a new ferry operation, and significant infrastructure work had to be performed in order for the ferries to operate, the Maritime Administration needed to be assured that prior to issuing any loan guarantee, that the ports would be available for ferry operations. The State of Hawaii (State) appropriated $40 million for port facility work at its four ports, conditional upon compliance with all environmental laws, ordinances, and requirements. Accordingly, the Maritime Administration required written confirmation from the State of Hawaii that the port facility work would commence and that no environmental issues were outstanding. As a condition to Closing, the Maritime Administration required that the State provide written confirmation, in form and substance satisfactory to MARAD, that an Environmental Assessment and/or Environmental Impact Statement for the port infrastructure would not be required.”
Thanks for the Maritime Administration statement.
I’m confused, though… maybe it’s just been too long a week for me, but this response leaves me wondering if the loan guarantee is still good. What does “Closing” mean in this case? Does it mean they have a guarantee still? Can the loan guarantee be rescinded? Would that happen automatically, or at the point when Superferry might exercise it?
After all, the $40 million is indeed spent for the port improvements, and at the time, given the state’s assurance that and EIS was not needed, all was in order as stated in this response.
Finally, and unrelated, can the Superferry be used for military purposes even if it can’t sail as a ferry?
Not “SuperFerry” — “SuperSpin” or, perhaps, “Super Fairy Tale”. I recall, from my days as a student, the Jesuits saying: “It’s a sin to tell a lie.”