The pending sale of Lana'i by Castle and Cooke's David Murdock to Larry Ellison has not brought an end to the controversy that swirls around a proposed wind project. As part of the deal, Murdock retains the right to develop a 200 to 400 megawatt wind farm on thousands of acres of land on the northwest tip of the island.
The pending sale of Lana'i by Castle and Cooke's David Murdock to Larry Ellison has not brought an end to the controversy that swirls around a proposed wind project. As part of the deal, Murdock retains the right to develop a 200 to 400 megawatt wind farm on thousands of acres of land on the northwest tip of the island.
Lana'i City, Lana'i - The pending sale of Lana'i by Castle and Cooke's David Murdock to Larry Ellison, the co-founder of Oracle and the sixth richest man on earth, has not brought an end to the controversy that swirls around a proposed wind project.
As part of the deal, Murdock retains the right to develop a 200 to 400 megawatt wind farm on thousands of acres of land on the northwest tip of the island.
All along Lana'i Avenue, the main drag through Lana'i City, residents have posted signs that declare their support or disdain for the wind project.
Some, like Lydia Batoon, see the wind project as a way to pay back Murdock's investment in the island for the past 27 years, and lower her electric bill. The two hotels built by Murdock, The …
Lana'i City, Lana'i - The pending sale of Lana'i by Castle and Cooke's David Murdock to Larry Ellison, the co-founder of Oracle and the sixth richest man on earth, has not brought an end to the controversy that swirls around a proposed wind project.
As part of the deal, Murdock retains the right to develop a 200 to 400 megawatt wind farm on thousands of acres of land on the northwest tip of the island.
All along Lana'i Avenue, the main drag through Lana'i City, residents have posted signs that declare their support or disdain for the wind project.
Some, like Lydia Batoon, see the wind project as a way to pay back Murdock's investment in the island for the past 27 years, and lower her electric bill. The two hotels built by Murdock, The Four Seasons at Koele and The Four Seasons at Manele Bay, provided jobs for generations of residents.
"We love him because he was the one who build (sic) the hotels," said Batoon. "The wind farm, whatever (is) good for Lana'i, we go for it."
"For me, to get off of foreign oil, to have green energy is very important," adds Jenna Majkus, the owner of The Local Gentry, a clothing boutique in the heart of Lana'i City. "It's a tough call; I mean it's divided a town."
Despite lower electric rates being promised to residents, Tony Guillen believes the wind farm won't benefit Lana'i, since most if not all of the power will be transferred to Oahu by undersea cable.
"They're saying that it doesn't benefit us and our electricity might even go up," said Guillen. "Now that (Murdock} has had decided to sell it, we are anxious to welcome the new owner of this island."
But whether the wind project moves ahead or withers away in the face of a grassroots opposition movement, many residents of the Pineapple Isle hope Ellison's deep pockets will bring a brighter future to Lana'i.
"It's a beautiful place, so what we need is more advertising," said Nick Palumbo, the owner of Lana'i Surf School and Surf Safari. "Spread the word, and get people here to enjoy it."