Month: August 2010

August 3, 2010 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

Two companies to release Maui stream water as ordered by the state

The state says Wailuku Water Co. and Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co. will begin releasing water to Waihee River and North and South Waiehu Streams in central Maui next week.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources says the companies next Monday will act to comply with a state water commission order issued in June.

But the move is unlikely to satisfy two Maui groups who want the companies to return more water than the commission ordered.

Hui o Na Wai Eha and Maui Tomorrow appealed the water commission’s ruling in state court last month.

They say they’re being deprived of the water they need to grow taro and restore natural habitat.

Two companies to release Maui stream water as ordered by the state – Hawaii News – Staradvertiser.com

August 2, 2010 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

Maui Land & Pine loses $4.6M in 2nd quarter

Maui Land & Pineapple Co. Inc. lost $4.6 million, or 57 cents per share, in the second quarter of 2010, the company said Monday.

The losses are significantly lower than the $54.2 million, or $6.75 per share, the company lost in the year-earlier period.

Maui Land recorded $8.3 million in revenue for the quarter, compared to $8.7 million in the second quarter of 2009.

In the first half of the year, the company’s net loss was $7.3 million, or 90 cents per share — an improvement from a loss of $67.4 million, or $8.40 per share, for the same period a year ago.

Revenue totaled $19 million from January through June, compared to $19.5 million for the first six months of 2009.

The net loss for the first half of the year includes a $3.4 million credit recognizing the termination of post-retirement benefits earlier this year and a profit before taxes of about $2.5 million from the sale of real estate and part of the company’s former administrative offices in Kahului on Maui.

Maui Land & Pine loses $4.6M in 2nd quarter – Hawaii News – Staradvertiser.com

August 1, 2010 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

U.S. regulators lack data on health risks of most chemicals

U.S. regulators lack data on health risks of most chemicals

By Lyndsey Layton
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, August 2, 2010; A01

This summer, when Kellogg recalled 28 million boxes of Froot Loops, Apple Jacks, Corn Pops and Honey Smacks, the company blamed elevated levels of a chemical in the packaging.

Dozens of consumers reported a strange taste and odor, and some complained of nausea and diarrhea. But Kellogg said a team of experts it hired determined that there was “no harmful material” in the products.

Federal regulators, who are charged with ensuring the safety of food and consumer products, are in the dark about the suspected chemical, 2-methylnaphthalene. The Food and Drug Administration has no scientific data on its impact on human health. The Environmental Protection Agency also lacks basic health and safety data for 2-methylnaphthalene — even though the EPA has been seeking that information from the chemical industry for 16 years.

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August 1, 2010 General Ag News and Notes Post a Comment

Delays in state waivers stall environmental projects

A University of Hawaii coral research project doesn’t sound like a major threat to the environment, but it has been stalled because researchers have been unable to get an exemption from the law requiring a costly environmental impact statement.

UH researchers can’t take tissue samples from live coral or remove test plates with new coral growth until the EIS issue is cleared up, said Michael Hamnett, executive director of the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii.

The delay is hurting research aimed at saving coral from the effects of things such as storm water runoff, Hamnett said. Several million dollars in research grants could be in jeopardy if the issue isn’t resolved, Hamnett said.

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