Henry Curtis of “Life of the Land” speaking in Pahoa

PAHOA, Hawaii – Henry Curtis – who is something of a guru for Hawaii’s evolving energy sustainability movement – was one of the featured speakers during last weekend’s Save Pohoiki talk story event in Pahoa.

Curtis is at the center of the “Life of the Land” organization, Hawai`i’s non-profit environmental and community action group. He is a highly knowledgeable critic of the state’s energy utility, the Public Utility Commission (PUC), and process of power regulation.

It was a timely talk. The Puna Pono Alliance – who oranized the event in Pahoa – is preparing to challenge HELCO’s request for proposal to add another 50 megawatts of geothermal energy to their grid on Hawaii Island. PPA is also trying to intervene in the utility’s Integrated Resource Planning process at the PUC.

Here is Curtis’ speech, in his own words.