Governor Lingle on the Issues

Capital Improvement Projects

"Our own feet will be held to the fire to make sure this happens, but everyone talked about different bottom lines today, my bottom line is, it can’t be business as usual."

"I think this effort is a good start, it’s in the same line of thinking as Kyle.  It’s a first step, now we need to implement and we will do our very best to make certain we don’t leave until we feel we’ve done everything we could to have our families back working and earning a good living."

"To the legislature, I want to thank you for making certain we had the authority to do these projects, and to those who wonder why certain projects are on the list and why others aren’t, how did they get chosen? It is the simplest of criteria that we used and that is what was ready to be put out to bid by September 2009, and actually be awarded by June of 2010?"

"These projects were chosen simply because the money had been appropriated by the Legislature and we believe we can get them out to bid and awarded to a contractor, a construction company, within that 18 month time frame." 

Energy Independence

"There’s no going back for us. This is our path, it’s the right path for the environment, it’s the right path for the people, it’s the right path for the economy."

"It's not overstating to say that this agreement [between the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, HECO and the consumer advocate] is historic, it's transformational and it will make Hawai`i a world leader and a model in energy independence. It will create a secure, sustainable and clean energy future but it will also create a sustainable economic future at the same time."

"Energy independence, combined with our innovation initiative is critical to transforming our economy for a sustainable future."

"This is one area – energy independence for Hawai‘i – where we have to be one team. We can’t have political parties, we can’t have the governor and the Legislature, we can’t have the public and private sector, the environmentalists and the business people. We have to recognize that anything is better than being 90 percent reliant on a polluting source of energy that takes our money and sends it out of state."

"We’ve already made several advances, many of them exciting. We have public-private partnerships on Maui and on Lāna‘i and the Department of Transportation is working very hard in this field to put solar arrays on a lot of our state airports so we generate our own energy, and the public does not have to buy electricity to run the airport."

“Hawai`i has an incredible opportunity for fundamental change. The state's diverse natural resources rival anyplace on Earth and include solar, wind, geothermal, ocean energy and biofuel sources of energy.”

“Energy security and climate change are issues that transcend borders,"

“In addition to solar, it is critical that we continue to develop innovative energy solutions that capitalize on our natural renewable resource advantages in order to achieve our goal of having 70 percent clean energy in Hawai`i by 2030.”

“An important component of securing our economic future requires that we develop a variety of innovative solutions to reduce our overdependence on imported fuel.”

“The Hawai‘i Clean Energy Initiative is an innovative, unprecedented partnership that builds on the progress the state has made to increase energy independence by decreasing Hawai‘i’s reliance on imported oil. Our islands' abundant natural sources of energy, combined with the considerable capabilities of the Department of Energy, will help Hawai`i lead America in utilizing clean, renewable energy technologies.”

Ceded Lands

"I think it's important to note that we don't have any intention of going out and selling ceded lands. That's not the purpose of this case. The purpose is to protect for all the people of Hawai`i those lands that were given to us as a state back in 1959 and were set aside for these five purposes, including affordable housing, farming, public use, and the betterment of native Hawaiian people."

"We're really protecting an action that was taken by Governor Waihe`e back in the 1990s. It was defended by his administration, it was then defended by the Cayetano administration and we are simply continuing to defend the people of Hawai`i against this lawsuit."

Affordable Housing

"Difficult economic times don't lessen our obligation to the residents of Hawai`i, it increases our obligation. It provides us with an even greater incentive to collaborate across city county and federal agencies, private sectors."

"Today offers a good example of what we can achieve when we work together. It's more than just building affordable rental homes, it's helping hardworking individuals – families – to become more financially secure and build better lives for themselves and their families."

"This serves as a model for public-private partnerships across the state. You know that we can't be operating in a "business as usual" fashion during these challenging times. This project is a part of the continuum of affordable housing that we seek to provide."

"Since 2003 through the end of 2008, we have approved and/or participated in the development of 5,825 units – 1,987 have already been built or preserved, including Kukui Gardens affordable rental project. The build-out of the remaining units will be occurring through 2013, and Hawai`i Housing and Finance Development Corporation has taken on a very ambitious goal."

"It's not just money that makes it a challenge to develop these kinds of projects. The regulatory environment also impacts our ability to move forward with affordable housing."

"Our Administration is focused on identifying the regulatory barriers that add to the cost or prevent the construction of affordable housing in Hawai`i. We established a 21-member affordable housing regulatory barriers task force in August 2007. This task force includes housing representatives from state government agencies, the legislature, experts and nonprofit organizations. The last meeting was on December 16; and the task force decided to submit 14 separate recommendations to include seven proposed legislative changes."

Economy

"We are in full-action mode. We will not stand by and simply wait for things to get better."

"In addition to pursuing these action items with great intensity, we are also cutting spending to ensure that we have a firm handle on our expenses and are using taxpayer dollars wisely. Every day, we are taking steps to offset our potential shortfall in revenue."

"There are national rankings of states, whether or not they are a good place to do business, whether or not the economic foundation is solid, whether or not they are headed in the right direction.  We certainly are."

“Our Administration is going to be looking at regulation in general to see if there are additional places that we can help to reduce the burden on business because they are going to face a tough time with rising expenses.”

“Our state's economic growth has slowed, but it has not stopped. Many important indicators show moderate growth, that, when contrasted with the rest of the nation, is an enormous positive and enviable position for Hawai'i.”

“We have been willing to exercise fiscal discipline when others were willing to spend everything they had.  My Administration takes a prudent approach to spending and makes certain that we don't spend more money than we have and leave the people of our state to suffer for our lack of fiscal discipline and integrity.”

Innovation

"Innovators are not the kind of people who are put off by what is happening in a financial market on any given day or in any month. These are people who spend their lives trying to figure out better ways to do things."

“Our future is dependent upon innovation. It is truly tied to what is going to happen with our young people here in Hawai`i and around the world.”

“Through partnerships to develop innovation and clean energy, we are creating a better Hawai`i for future generations.”

“Athletics are valuable, but only an elite few will become professional athletes. It's a different story for people with math skills. You will drive technology and innovation in the 21st century and help our state develop renewable energy technology.”

Student Robotics

“Lt. Governor Aiona and I love sports, but there is no athlete on this planet who is going to solve the renewable energy problem. They are not going to find the cure for Alzheimer's because they have a great three-point shot. You are going to be the ones.”

Preserving "What Makes Hawai`i Special"

“Our goal is to encourage people to respect and protect our natural and cultural resources, and to make it their personal responsibility to be stewards of Hawai`i's precious environment.”

“I firmly believe we cannot speculate or sell ourselves into prosperity. There is a time and a place for large-scale land development projects... but there is also a time and place to preserve our natural environment and our heritage. The Turtle Bay property is the place and now is the time.”

“Preservation successes here on the North Shore show how we can create a sustainable model by working together.”

Investing in Hawai`i's Infrastructure

“While Hawai‘i’s overall economy continues to show positive growth, this new fiscal environment along with global economic factors require that the state maintain fiscal prudence in managing our budget and that we exercise judicious spending of taxpayers' money.”

“Ongoing investment in the repair and modernization of our small-boat harbor infrastructure will ensure the facilities are safe for boaters and commuters, and that our fragile marine environment is protected.”

Visitor Arrivals

"We have to narrow our marketing efforts and focus on high-visitor states like California... The best way for us to get tourism back on track is to go to the places that have the closest people who are used to going to Hawai`i, where it is the least expensive to get here."

“We've been in discussions with every major airline, both the legacy carriers as well as the independent-type, smaller carriers about additional flights into the state. You see Alaska adding more flights, you see Delta adding in Kona and Lihue flights. So, we’re doing everything we can.  It’s all about getting more seats into the state and then filling those seats; but you need the seats before you can convince people to come here.”

“We're over reliant on the visitor industry, over reliant on land development, and we need to move away from that.”