Honolulu, HI

Maui Circuit Judge Joseph Cardoza ruled that the Hawaii Superferry would not be allowed to operate until an environmental assessment has been completed. Keep in mind that it could take months to complete these assessments. Based on Chapter 343 of the State’s environmental law, an environmental assessment is required.

To add to that, the operating agreement between the Hawaii Department of Transportation and the Hawaii Superferry is invalid and as a result, the vessel cannot use port facilities statewide. Ouch!

Superferry president and CEO John Garibaldi issued the following statement regarding the Maui court ruling today:
“Obviously, we are disappointed. While the ruling is a loss for Hawaii Superferry and our employees, it is a greater loss for the state of Hawaii.”

So where does this leave the Hawaii Superferry? The Legislature is considering on holding a special session with Governor Linda Lingle to determine if they will overrule Judge Cardoza’s decision. With this division, the Legislature will have to get real creative and come up with some viable solutions to keep the Hawaii Superferry here in the islands.

That’s fine, but what about the families who just lost their jobs as a result of this decision? If the boat sits, people will get laid off. It just doesn’t make sense to hire a crew who won’t work for months.

Reactions are divided. Protesters were reported to be cheerfully praising Judge Cardoza’s decision saying that he couldn’t really have voted any other way. At the same time, there is still reported to be widespread support of the Hawaii Superferry by the local community.

It will be interesting to see what the state comes up with. It’ll be also interesting to see if the Hawaii Superferry stays in the islands. This situation just makes Hawaii commerce look really bad in the eyes of outside businesses. Wondering why only mainland restaurant chains and retail stores can come to Hawaii. This is exactly the reason why!

Hawaii Superferry, judge cardoza, john garibaldi, Linda lingle