1.
Whenever we quote, edit or otherwise interpret what people tell us, we aim to be faithful to their
meaning, so our stories ring true to those we interview. In all our stories, especially matters of
controversy, we strive to consider the strongest arguments we can find on all sides, seeking to
deliver both nuance and clarity. Our goal is not to please those whom we report on or to
produce stories that create the appearance of balance, but to seek the truth.
Hawaii Public Radio
ILILANI MEDIA : BLUE PLANET RESEARCH ENDORSES
HU HONUA`S PROPOSED TREE-BURNING PROJECT
Posted on SEPTEMBER 17, 2021, by Henry Curtis
<http://www.ililani.media/2021/09/blue-planet-research-endorses-hu-honuas.html?m=1>
Hu Honua President Warren Lee submitted testimony yesterday as part of Hu Honua`s
justification for its proposal to clear-cut forests, turn trees into wood pellets, and burn them to
generate high-cost electricity.
“Hu Honua engaged in numerous discussions with State agencies, the County of Hawaii, and
private stakeholders to better understand concerns and potential opportunities. As a result of
these discussions, Hu Honua determined that potentially supporting the production of green
hydrogen and the removal and use of invasive species were issues that should be studied and
addressed.”
Warren Lee Exhibit: Hu Honua-102. Letter from Blue Planet Research
[Note Supplied: UNDATED]
Warren Lee
Hu Honua Bioenergy,
120 Pauahi St, Hilo, Hawaii 96720
Dear Warren,
As Director and CTO of Blue Planet Research, | fully support the initiative of using baseload
biomass energy to produce hydrogen for transportation and energy storage with Hu Honua
Bioenergy on the Big Island of Hawaii. It has been the goal of BPR since 2005 to incorporate
hydrogen into Hawaii's energy portfolio and create a much-needed industry for our State.
There is no debate that hydrogen is the eventual replacement for fossil fuels and the time is right
to start that transition and we stand ready to help make this a reality.
As the world embraces electrification of transportation as a hedge against climate change,
hydrogen expands the reach for personal transportation choices that would otherwise be absent
for most battery electric vehicle owners living in multi-family housing. Secondly, it is the only
option for long haul trucking and other sectors of transportation such as Rail, Shipping, and
Aviation.

2.
By utilizing carbon neutral biomass and other baseload technologies we can start the growth of
this new industry while offsetting carbon and NOX emissions from transportation. The county of
Hawaii is also leading the State with innovative initiatives around transportation fueled by
hydrogen from landfill gas that would otherwise find its way into the atmosphere.
As we scale production with demand we can grow realistically in step as more renewables come
on line with the goal of not wasting any potential energy. We are committed to making Hawaii
Island the leading supplier of hydrogen for the State and other nations around the Pacific region.
With Respect and Aloha,
Vincent Paul Ponthieux
Direct/ CTO Blue Planet Research, LLC
________________________________________________________
HU HONUA'S PARADIGM
Biomass was Good for Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC), Why Not Us?
KIUC BIOMASS PLANT
GROUND BREAKING – JANUARY 13, 2013
<https://www.greenenergykauai.com/company>
This Project is the first closed-loop biomass plant in the United States for sure but probably in
the world, to my knowledge none of the biomass plants in the world have a hundred percent of
their feedstock in their own hands and and dedicated plantations for the employ of local
people to grow their stuff use it to sell energy and continue that cycle.
Gilles Libbe, General Manager, Green Energy Team
________________________________________________________
2018
IS ENERGY FROM WOODY BIOMASS POSITIVE FOR THE CLIMATE?
The International Energy Agency, JANUARY 2018
<https://www.ieabioenergy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/FAQ_WoodyBiomass-Climate_final-1.pdf>
Energy from woody biomass can be very positive for the climate, particularly when applying
sustainable forest management practices, and when the biomass is used efficiently (such as in
combined heat and power plants and biorefineries).
Considering the crucial role of forests to theclimate and many other ecosystem services,
sustainable forest management is key to maintaining healthy and productive forests, and
for controlling harvest levels so as to maintain or increase carbon stocks in forests.
[Emphasis in Original]
2021
PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT OVERLOOKS WOOD PELLET LOOPHOLE
By Cameron Oglesby, Environmental Health News, MAY 12, 2021
<https://www.greenbiz.com/article/paris-climate-agreement-overlooks-wood-pellet-loophole>

3.
With the U.S. back in the Paris Agreement, and with governments across the country evaluating
how they can cut carbon emissions, a question remains about one contentious “carbon neutral”
energy source: Wood pellets.
Wood pellets are burned as a form of biomass energy, or bioenergy, and are touted as a “carbon
neutral” energy source in the global transition away from fossil fuels. It became an energy staple
for European countries in 2009 when the European Union [EU] set goals to cut carbon emissions
by 20 percent of 1990 levels by 2020. In 2019, the EU accounted for about 75 percent of global
wood pellet consumption.
A 2012 study projected that by 2020 about 60 percent of the EU's renewable energy would come
from burning wood pellets as a carbon neutral alternative to coal. And data released by the EU at
the end of 2020 indicates that they were set to meet this 20 percent goal while on track to reduce
emissions by 37 percent by 2030.
But this latest report did not directly mention the use of wood pellets in the EU, primarily for
residential heating, in its energy budget. This exclusion is emblematic of a flawed carbon
accounting system for wood pellets that is leaving a chunk of emissions uncounted, and experts
say the Paris Agreement will only create more missed emissions from the biomass sector.
The emissions from wood pellets are not counted in the energy sector. “To do so would
erroneously double count the climate impact of wood pellets in both the land sector and the
energy sector,” wrote a representative from the largest biomass supplier in the world, Enviva
Biomass, in an email to EHN [Environmental Health News].
However, because of the way forests are classified in the U.S., these emissions aren't counted in
either the land or energy sectors, Frost said. [Rita Frost, Campaigns Director,Dogwood Alliance]
The U.S. does not account for the emissions from breaking down and compressing trees into
wood pellets at these facilities either. And in addition to carbon emissions from these facilities, a
2018 report highlighted that these wood pellet plants often release carbon monoxide, smog and
fine particulate matter into the air contributing to respiratory and heart diseases in local residents.
With the U.S.'s reentry into the Paris Agreement, an international treaty aimed at combating
climate change, earlier this year, experts say this flawed accounting system should be corrected.
Mary Booth, Director of Partnership for Policy Integrity, a nonprofit that provides science and
legal support to inform climate policy, said the U.S. placement in the Paris Agreement allows this
loophole to persist. “In order for wood to qualify toward renewable energy targets the country
where the wood comes from has to be a member of the Paris Agreement — like be signed on to
the Paris Agreement,” she told EHN.
She also noted that in 2018, new rules were instituted to allow countries in the agreement to
continue not counting wood pellet emissions in the energy sector so long as the country where
the wood came from accounts for it in land use.
Enviva said U.S. participation in Paris has nothing to do with the standard for biomass
accounting.

4.
Frost believes that the best way to address this accounting issue is by switching biomass carbon
counting from the land use sector to the energy sector, thus switching the accountability from the
U.S. and its definition of a forest to the EU and other wood pellet consuming countries. This also
would negate claims that biomass energy is carbon neutral.
“If Biden and the rest of the world want to stay true to the goals of the Paris Agreement, they
need to prioritize forest restoration and management that doesn't reduce carbon by cutting down
trees,” Booth said. [Emphasis Supplied]
________________________________________________________
Hawaii is directly in the crosshairs for the most significant effects of climate change: more
severe storms, rising sea levels, and hotter temperatures. The state's recent experience with a
'king tides' event, where a combination of factors caused the ocean to flood low-lying parts of
the state, is a portent for things to come with increased climate change. Ocean acidification,
caused by increased concentrations of carbon dioxide in the ocean, has the potential to
decimate fisheries and the coral reefs that protect the islands. “Hawaii is uniquely positioned
to lead on clean energy solutions the globe so desperately needs. Our state is already on the
map for its bold renewable energy policy and clean energy deployment.” - Melissa Miyashiro,
Blue Planet Foundation, Chief of Staff
Hawaii's journey to 100% clean energy is now more important than ever.
Jeff Mikulina, Blue Planet, Executive Director
HENK ROGERS - MAN WITH A MISSION
He decided his mission would be to end the world's use of carbon-based fuel, the largest cause of
global warming and climate change. He created the Blue Planet Foundation to help reach that
goal.
Why does Rogers think 100 percent renewable is so important for Hawaii? “It affects all the
decisions that get made between now and 2045, or even after, regarding the production of
electricity. In other words, nobody is going to build any infrastructure that's going to last past
2045. That means no more oil-, or coal-, or gas-fired power plants. That's because each time you
build something like that, you're basically stuck with it until it's amortized, as long as it's in
working condition.”
“If I knew then what I know now about computer games,” he says, “I would never had thought I
could make a role-playing game in nine months, in a language that I didn't speak, read, or write,
with just 64 K of memory. That seems like a ridiculous undertaking. And it is a ridiculous
undertaking, looking back on it now. But I did it.”
“And I really feel that ending the use of carbon-based fuel is a similar thing. If I really knew how
big of a thing I was taking on, I would probably say, 'That's an impossible thing to do.' But I don't
know that, and therefore it's not impossible. And, because I believe it's not impossible, it is not
impossible. Sometime in the future, someone will probably say, 'Wow! You guys did a
gargantuan job!' But you know what? That's the job.
HENK ROGERS, HAWAII BUSINESS' CEO OF THE YEAR
Does Not Follow Conventions – He Ignores Or Breaks Them
By Dennis Hollier, Hawaii Business, December 9, 2015
<https://www.hawaiibusiness.com/off-the-grid/>