Letter to Lingle

Gov. Linda Lingle is set to veto HB 1270 today, the legislation extending funding to the Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Initiative. The reasons given for the veto are bureaucratic side-steps and misrepresent the work that has occurred to date. The 2050 initiative, while only a modest part of the overall reforms needed in Hawaii's policies toward climate, energy and social change, must not be thwarted at this late hour. We need this initiative to go forward, to be followed immediately by broader, more innovative actions by Hawaii's leaders.

Below is Jim Dator's letter to Gov Lingle on the importance of continuing the HI 2050 process, and the response from the Governor's office.

Dator:

Please sign HB 1270
I understand you are considering vetoing HB 1270 that will continue the work begun by the Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Task Force. Your veto would be a huge mistake, symbolically, financially and politically.

Though this extremely important process has been severely underfunded from the beginning, a great many people of all kinds in all communities have participated in the venture for many months. It will be a tremendous insult to them, and to future generations on whose behalf they labor, if you terminate their efforts now.

Hawaii 2050 Sustainability has never been a partisan activity. Please do not politicize this open and vital process now. Rather than veto the legislation, I urge you to endorse it enthusiastically, giving Hawaii 2050 Sustainability your highest priority over the remaining days of your administration. That certainly is what I would expect you to do, unless I have severely misunderstood you all these years.

Future generations depend on your intelligence, compassion and support. Please show you care by signing and endorsing HB 1270.

Jim Dator

The response from the Governor's office:

Aloha,

Thank you for your e-mail regarding House Bill 1270. We appreciate reviewing comments from concerned citizens regarding current legislation.

This bill has been placed on the potential veto list because it requires the Auditor to continue to prepare the 2050 sustainability plan, a function outside of the scope of the Auditor's duties. It also further delays issuance of the plan, and appropriates an additional $850,000 to the project, bringing the total in state expenditures to $1.7 million. The task force has failed to present a sustainability plan to the Legislature even with the extension granted to it in 2006 and has spent a significant amount of State funds with no report to date.

House Bill 1270, relating to state planning, is one of more than 328 measures passed by the Legislature this session requiring review by our office. Public comments and suggestions are essential in helping to shape the Governor’s decisions that will affect the people of Hawai‘i. House Bill 1270 will continue to be carefully reviewed, taking into consideration all input we receive.

Please visit our website at: www.hawaii.gov/gov to follow this and other legislative actions. The Governor has until Monday, July 10, to take action on all legislation.

Mahalo nui loa for contacting the Governor’s office regarding this important matter.

Office of Governor Linda Lingle

Monday, July 10th? That's not the 2007 date, must be sometime last Century if we are to infer from the rest of the Governor's thinking on this issue.

Update: Gov. Lingle's veto is overridden by the Legislature. Q: Who is Lingle appeasing with this hopeless gesture? There is not much money involved, so what is to gain by appearing anti-sustainability? A simple turf-war perhaps? The symbolic stakes seem too high.