GOVERNOR’S LANAI COMMUNITY ADVISORY COUNCIL CONTINUES DISCUSSION ON HAWAII CLEAN ENERGY INITIATIVE

For Immediate Release: March 20, 2009

HONOLULU – The Governor’s Lanai Community Advisory Council will meet on Tuesday, March 24, 2009, 5:00 p.m. at the Lanai Senior Center, 309 Seventh Street, Lanai City. The public is invited to attend.

This month’s meeting will be a follow-up to the Council’s Feb. 24 meeting, which focused on the Lingle-Aiona Administration’s work to achieve energy independence through the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI). Ted Peck, energy administrator, Strategic Industries Division, and Joshua Strickler, facilitator of renewable energy projects, from the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, both of whom spoke to the Council and the community last month about the HCEI, will discuss the recent agreement between Castle & Cooke, First Wind Hawaii, and Hawaiian Electric that could lead to large wind farms on Lanai and Molokai providing clean energy to Oahu. The agreement is part of the HCEI, a partnership between the State of Hawaii and the U.S. Department of Energy that seeks to move Hawaii toward having 70 percent of its energy come from clean energy sources by 2030.

Governor Linda Lingle created community advisory councils to give the neighbor islands a stronger voice in state government. The Lanai Community Advisory Council holds monthly public meetings on the fourth Tuesday of each month to seek community input and advise the Governor of important issues on Lanai. The advisory council also recommends potential nominees from Lanai to serve on state boards and commissions.

The members of the Governor’s Lanai Community Advisory Council are Christine Costales, Darlene Endrina, Michael Lopez, Matthew Mano and Douglas Rolefson.

Anyone requiring special assistance or accommodations to participate at this meeting may call (808) 586-0034. For additional information on Neighbor Island Community Advisory Councils, including meeting minutes and agendas, visit the Governor’s Web site at www.hawaii.gov/gov.

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For more information, contact:

Charen L. Ching
Governor’s Liaison Office
Phone: (808) 586-0001

Lenny Klompus
Senior Advisor – Communications
Phone: (808) 586-7708

Russell Pang
Chief of Media Relations
Phone: (808) 586-0043

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