Oh, the terrible tangled webs we weave. The Hawaii Superferry is taking on water, so to speak. On the surface, the idea of a large, fast, economical ferry between the major islands in Hawaii is attractive. As local surfers will tell you, it’s what’s under the surface that’s scary.
Under the surface are sharks. Lawyers. For now, Superferry is grounded, scuttled by lawyers and laws, and surfers, and special interest groups.
The Superferry concept is attractive. Imagine a small cruise ship with enough space to carry hundreds of passengers and hundreds of cars and truck. Imagine such a ship transporting both between the islands at prices lower than the local airlines. Intriguing, no?
Unfortunately, Superferry ran into a few sharks along the way. Higher fuel prices in recent years made Superferry’s initial fare pricing higher than the competitive airline industry. Environmental groups sued to stop the Superferry from entering Maui’s harbor, and surfers, swimmers, paddlers combined to stop entry into Kauai’s harbor.
Why all the fuss over what appears to be a good idea for the people of Hawaii?
Superferry lobbied elected officials to ensure that an expensive and time consuming Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) would not be required prior to launch. Superferry lobbied elected officials to help pay for harbor improvements in the state; arguably to the benefit of Hawaii residents, and certainly to the benefit of Superferry’s future.
Enter the lawyers. Spurred on by various special interest groups, lawyers managed a shakedown of Hawaii’s legal system, with the State Supreme Court having a final say (it won’t be the last). Apparently the State’s politicians and bureaucrats erred when they did not require an EIS for Superferry, though no such statement is required for other entities using Hawaii’s harbors. Is that discrimination?
Of course, it was the very same politicians who created the laws which supposedly required such impact reviews in the first place.
In the end, sink or swim, the lawyers win, and the people lose. Lawyers always win, even when one side of an argument loses. They get paid, win or lose. The people lose because their tax dollars were spent on improvements to the harbor facilities for Superferry. They lose again because it will cost more to visit the neighbor islands than using the local airlines.
1 comment so far ↓
I am beginning to smell a disaster in the making. It looks as if the state’s politicians were heavily influenced by Superferry. A protracted environmental review will dock the boat for a year or two, which will effectively kill the venture. Maybe it is not much of a loss anyway. The Superferry prices were just too much– more than airfare and car rental to another island.
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