Editor’s note: Candidates for the Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative Board of Directors were asked the same three questions about the position. Their responses will appear this week in The Garden Island. KIUC members will start receiving their ballots in the
Editor’s note: Candidates for the Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative Board of Directors were asked the same three questions about the position. Their responses will appear this week in The Garden Island. KIUC members will start receiving their ballots in the mail Saturday. They are due by noon, March 28.
The questions
1.) Why are you running for the KIUC board and what experience/expertise will you bring to the board in the way of fiscal management, community service and advocacy?
2.) What is your opinion of the KIUC strategic plan and KIUC’s 2008 Integrated Resource Planning, as they relate to the Hawai‘i Clean Energy Initiative?
3.) What role do you think KIUC should play in advocating for conservation and energy efficient incentives; how should they be funded?
Responses from candidate Stu Burley
1.) I want to give back to the island that I love. I was program manager for hundreds of projects at PMRF which involved fiscal management. I am president of the Kaua‘i chapter of AARP, vice president of the Navy League, ITEA regional representative for Hawai‘i and Australia, associate director of Hawai‘i Space Grant Consortium, mentor in six schools for underwater robotics and rocketry, executive committee on KEDB board.
2.) The Strategic Plan should be reviewed and updated every year to reflect changes in the renewable energy arena and make sure it reflects new ideas for the Clean Energy Initiative.
3.) KIUC should be very much involved in energy efficient incentives and also become members of every board that advocates conservation and incentives so that KIUC is heard as the island’s voice. The island’s voice is the members and the real voice should be KIUC speaking for all the members on the island. Funding should be from sources in government (county, state, country and big business). KIUC should be looking for new funding avenues in order to keep up with new ideas.
Responses from candidate Ben Sullivan
1.) I am running for the KIUC Board of Directors because I want to help bring about a rapid transformation to clean, efficient and local energy generation and use in our community. Sound fiscal management is certainly an important support mechanism to meet this goal. My own experience includes 15 years managing large and small construction projects as well as the everyday experience of being a small business owner on Kaua‘i.
My community service and advocacy experience come from my role as an active member and former chairperson of Apollo Kaua‘i, as well as from several other volunteer positions in the community aimed at fostering a return to greater self-sufficiency. It is the single most important issue of my generation.
2.) The Hawai‘i Clean Energy Initiative is a very progressive, even visionary proposal to transform electricity systems in Hawai‘i. Although imperfect, its boldness matches the scale of the challenge we face with climate change and resource depletion.
KIUC’s strategic plan is a good first step, but it is largely undeveloped in scope and detail. The 2008 IRP is, in my view, a step backwards. Its biggest flaw is its heavy reliance on petroleum price “forecasting,” which is no longer accepted as a reliable tool for long-term planning. The IRP is an example of business as usual, where instead of looking for ways to transform the co-op, KIUC is simply looking for something other than oil to burn. This simply will not provide the clean energy future we need to create.
3.) First, KIUC’s business model should be changed from “electricity retailer” into “energy services” provider. Once this takes place, they can with community input, gauge what level of investment is appropriate for energy conservation and efficiency based on expected return. Asking KIUC to aggressively pursue this today is like asking a used car salesman to advocate for increased public bus ridership. As efficiency and conservation are the biggest and most cost-effective opportunities for energy savings and emissions reduction, this should be a high priority.