Inouye Wants to Revive Interisland Ferry

[ellisonz]

By Adrienne LaFrance 02/17/2012

Chad Blair/Civil Beat

WASHINGTON — Sen. Daniel Inouye has long been a champion of the Honolulu rail project, but these days there's another major transportation project on his mind.

"You want to know what some of my dreams are like?" Inouye said in an interview with Civil Beat earlier this month. "A reasonable ferry system that one can afford to pay (for)."

Inouye doesn't mention the now-defunct Superferry by name, but what he describes sounds a lot like the system that was shut down amid backlash from environmentalists and a subsequent state Supreme Court decision in 2009. Hawaii Superferry, Inc. went bankrupt in the months that followed.

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Inouye isn't the first to attempt to revive the ferry system. Several lawmakers have made efforts to bring back some iteration of the service in recent years. Former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann said he wanted to bring back the Superferry during his 2010 run for Hawaii governor.

More: http://www.civilbeat.com/articles/2012/02/17/14894-inouye-wants-to-revive-interisland-ferry/

[mahina]

1. Oh fer pete's.

[ellisonz]

5. Even Dan Inouye knows this is dreaming...

[mahina]

8. I sure hope so.

[CAPHAVOC]

2. Won't work. Can't run channel between Molokai and Lanai because of Whales.

Northern route is too rough. It gets stuck due to weather. Between the Islands. Can't keep a schedule. I saw it sitting last year in Norfolk Va. at Hampton Rhodes. Plus the locals on the other islands don't like it.

[mahina]

6. yep.

Nothing like a happy inter-island ride on a waterborne vomit comet, with protests on either end.

I don't think Uncle Dan has paddled inter-island much lately. No slur on the war wound intended.

[IMG][/IMG]

[demosincebirth]

3. That would really improve commerce between the Islands. Good idea

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

4. That might be tough

Seeing as the US Navy just bought both ships less than a month ago and will be basing them in Okinawa.

[mahina]

7. Well that is some good news!

[mahina]

9. Want to know what some of my dreams are, Uncle Dan?

Homeless in shelter, hungry fed, Hawaiian Homelands for those who are waiting, jobs and number one, an education system that works.

I do not see why we can not have those things here. For all we spend on some things, our priorities are not right.

[ellisonz]

10. ...

- and let me just add - native habitat protection and restoration! - that's our money-maker right there - without it our tourism industry is hollow.

[mahina]

11. Right! Fund DLNR

those folks are doing their best with very little in resources.

Mahalo Ellisonz.