Kenoi touts waste-to-energy as DEM head wants to prolong landfill By Nancy Cook Lauer As his newly appointed Environmental Management director told a county panel the #Hilo landfill could last another 12 years, Mayor #BillyKenoi vowed Wednesday that a #waste-to-#energy facility will be “on the ground” by the time he leaves office in 3 1/2 years. Bobby Jean Leithead Todd, who formerly headed the department and faces confirmation by the #CountyCouncil next month, told the Environmental Management Commission that her office is in the process of obtaining a consultant to finalize a sliver-fill design on the north-facing slope of the landfill, a process that could extend its life another 10 to 12 years. Previous estimates said the #landfill had less than five years left. “We are very preliminarily looking at alternatives,” Leithead Todd said. “Given the history of the procurement process, we’ll probably need that extra time.” But Kenoi, who was not at the meeting, in an interview after Leithead Todd’s comments, said there’s no reason the process has to take that long. He pointed out his administration’s success getting the $30.9 million, 2.9-mile Ane Keohokalole Highway built in less than two years. “Our goal is to have in the next 3 1/2 years a long-term solution on the ground and implemented,” He said. “Any project can take years. We’ve never let previous time lines stymie us.” One of the problems, Leithead Todd noted, is the county’s #garbage stream has been reduced, primarily because of the economic downturn, to a level that may not sustain a waste-to-energy incinerator. Currently, a total of about 419 tons per day goes to the island’s two landfills. Experts have said a minimum of 500 tons per day is required to make waste-to-energy incineration cost-effective with current technology. “I basically said I’m going to come into this job with an open mind,” Leithead Todd said. “We’ll see what’s out there. … It has to be consistent with the amount that we have.” Kenoi, however, said the county already knows what’s out there, and he points to the City and County of #Honolulu’s HPower garbage incinerator as an example of what can be done on #HawaiiIsland. #HPower burns about 2,000 tons per day, providing 7 percent of #Oahu’s #electricity, according to its website. full story here westhawaiitoday/sections/news/local-news/kenoi-touts-waste-energy-dem-head-wants-prolong-landfill.html
Posted on: Thu, 27 Jun 2013 17:54:11 +0000
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