EF Highlights Blue Planet’s Legislative Initiatives

Blue Planet Foundation Executive Director Jeff Mikulina

“If at first you don’t succeed…..” You know the rest of that ditty. The dollar-per-barrel tax on imported oil made it through the Legislature in 2009 only to be vetoed by the Governor. The measure failed when the veto override vote fell short.

That was then, and the 2010 version of the legislation backed by the Blue Planet Foundation is now a $5-per-barrel tax. Executive Director Jeff Mikulina described the Foundation’s top legislative priorities on Monday’s Energy Futures show.

The barrel tax is priority #1, and not far behind is the measure called Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Bond Financing. Jeff said he’s open to a better name and invited listeners to visit the Foundation’s website to learn more about the Foundation's dozen policy proposals before the Legislature.

Monday, February 22

My last show! But the show will go on; Beth-Ann Kozlovich will fill the role of producer and host until another person is found do those jobs. We kicked off the weekly program in July 2009 and gave it seven months before deciding this HPR volunteer needs to start spending his time more profitably while advancing renewable energy projects (see our communications consulting practice’s website).

The final program under the current host will bring back the first show’s two guests – State Energy Administrator Ted Peck and Sierra Club director Robert Harris.

Energy Futures is broadcast “live” on Mondays 5-6 pm HST on KIPO-FM (89.3 in Hawaii) and is streamed on the Internet. An archived file of each week’s show is usually posted sometime on Tuesday at the Hawaii Public Radio website.