Last year, the 117th US Congress cooperated in a bipartisan effort to pass the $1.7 trillion Emergency Infrastructure Act. The allocation of funds created by this Act will be determined on the basis of both equity and need, with need being the primary consideration.
On an entitlement basis, Hawaii would receive $2.8 billion, which when combined with a similar allowance from the Federal Farm Bill, could result in nearly $3.5 billion in federal spending.
However, the problem for us is that the equity portion of the funds available will likely be consumed by needs, and since Hawaii hasn’t forecast emergency needs, we most likely won’t receive anything. The main reason we are not stating an urgent need is that most of the infrastructure costs in Hawaii are actually borne by the developers in the form of usage fees, ie the project pays for it.
The real emergency here is the unforeseen consequence and limited foresight built into our system. Planning decisions are based primarily on history and not vision, because in a political environment, accountability is based on history.
While a large portion of our community would like Kona to stay the way it is, the reality is that it is not and will not be the case in the future. Whether West Hawaii continues to develop or not, we face a major infrastructure disaster that has not received the attention it deserves and is therefore not a candidate for federal assistance.
The disaster is the Kealakehe Landfill, which has been on fire and burning for decades. The fire is currently deep in the structure, but as in the past, it will break through and once again emit toxic smoke that will drive Mauka into the homes and high school. The school closure will only be one of the realized consequences, but it is the most obvious and probably the most serious.
If the landfill issues were combined with other infrastructure needs like water, waste management, recreation facilities, open space, reforestation, etc. into an integrated project carpet, we would qualify for federal funding, which I think we would all agree we should be looking for.
The landfill would be processed and composted to create soil needed for the construction of a regional park. Wastewater from a properly designed wastewater treatment plant would be used to irrigate the park along with integrated open spaces, various recreational facilities, land reclamation and tree planting, and a variety of other projects that enrich life in Kona.
Kelly Greenwell lives in North Kona.