OK, here are some comments reposted from the Yahoo! Hula-Girls group:

"moRe: Superferry accident waiting to happen--no ride, hula friends!"
Sep 11, 2007

This is a repost from another site (MySpace), which I thought would be of interest here:

"Superferry impacts? What impacts?

"Plenty, and they began immediately:

"This is a quote from today's Maui News re. stripping neighbor island resources via the Superferry. To think this happened on the Superferry's very first trip... Here's the link. Pass this e-mail on to others.

www.mauinews.com/news/2007...y0909.html

' ... Among the vehicles caught on Maui were three trucks that are subjects of an investigation by the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

'State conservation enforcement officers confirmed they are investigating a report of three Oahu men who loaded three truckloads of imu rock without a permit. The incident was reported to enforcement officers by a resident who reportedly saw several men loading the trucks with rocks from the beach at Paukukalo.

'Investigators reportedly located three trucks loaded with beach rocks at the Hawaii Superferry terminal lot at Kahului Harbor.

'The complaint, which was also reported to The Maui News, illustrates the concern over the demand on Maui resources by residents from other islands coming aboard the Superferry... '

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"Now, how many O'ahu people will be going on Superferry to...

" - rape the mokihana before the Kaua'i folks can
" - overpick the native forests of Moku o Keawe for lei
" - bring back coqui frogs, ..ohi..a rust, Miconia -- without even knowing it!
" - pound every ..opihi in sight -- because they can

"The list goes on and on.

"E, he kamaaina O'ahu au, so its not about putting down O'ahu people, it is just that we need to control ourselves if we are going to use the Superferry in a way that emphasizes all the good and prevents as much of the bad as possible. But judging from the news, its not starting out good at all, is it?

"When the Superferry finally does their Envronmental Assessment, the resource and social impacts such as the above had better be there, not just the impacts in the harbor area... That will all rely on who does the cultural impact study, and who does the environmental impact study."

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--- In Hula-Girls@yahoogroups.com, "John Tyler" <mysticseaswimmer@...> wrote on August 26, 2007:
>
>
> Dear Hula Brothers and Sisters,
>
> You may have heard: The Hawai'i State Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling a few days ago requiring Superferry to do the environmental review required by law. The Superferry was due to start next Tuesday, but after this ruling, has moved up its start date to tomorrow (Sunday) and looks to flood the neighbor islands with unprepared for, unmitigated traffic and little concern for adequately checking 282 cars and 800 passengers by giving $5 fares. This is done to fly in the face of a likely court order next week to stop them--then they could sue the state (us) for damages of stopping business from a business that needed lawful environmental review in the first place.
>
> Please tell your family and friends not to ride the un-pono Superferry. What happens if someone takes it, and then their family and car becomes stranded on a neighbor island because the ferry is halted? Imagine the expense back???
>
> Also, I personally fear an accident occurring from a full capacity ferry, with a non-seasoned over stressed crew. With only 100 people on a pleasure cruise of the ferry last week, many people were seasick and cars rolled. This is a disaster waiting to happen. Please tell friends and family--no take Superferry....
>
> Aloha, [:)]
> John Tyler
>
> see for more background info:
> boycottsuperferry.org <boycottsuperferry.org>
>
> activist rallies on Kaua'i:
> hui-r.info <hui-r.info>
>
>
> From the Honolulu Star Bulletin--
>
> Saturday, August 25, 2007 OUR OPINION
>
State's bad decision steered Superferry into rough seas

THE ISSUE
The Hawaii Supreme Court has ruled that the state erred in exempting the ferry from environmental review. THE Hawaii Superferry, which residents, the tourist industry and local businesses had greeted enthusiastically when proposed in 2003, could have glided smoothly from concept to boarding. However, when the state exempted the operation from required environmental review, it set the Superferry on a course that could eventually run it aground.
>
It did not have to be this way.
>
> The Hawaii Supreme Court, in a terse, swift ruling Thursday, unanimously agreed with three citizen and environmental groups that the Department of Transportation erred when it released the ferry company from the review, ordering a judgment in their favor.
>
> The ruling could have delayed the ferry's start-up set for Tuesday, but Superferry officials brazenly moved up its initial launch to tomorrow. The act, which was encouraged by the state's decision to allow the ferry to operate despite the ruling, turned up the heat in an already simmering conflict. Earlier Thursday, a circuit judge in another suit had ordered the state to prepare Maui streets for the traffic the ferry was expected to generate.
>
> When plaintiffs' attorneys seek an injunction come Monday to stop what they believe is an illegal operation, the ferry might find itself dockside, further entangled in legal ropes.
>
> The situation is the result of a bad decision by the state. In its zeal, which was not misplaced, to help an enterprise that could prove beneficial to a spectrum of economic interests as well as to people wanting an alternative to air travel, officials short-cut laws designed to protect and sustain Hawaii's environmental health.
>
> With a majority of the public favoring the ferry, officials could have steered through the review process, mitigating concerns about the inadvertent spread of non-native and invasive plants and animals, traffic problems at ports and adjacent roadways, illegal drugs and other contraband, and endangering whales and marine animals.
>
> Instead, they chose what they thought would be an easier route and, in the process, shut out the public's voice, even arguing unsuccessfully in court that citizens had no standing to challenge their decisions.
>
> Earlier this year, when Maui, Kauai and Hawaii County Councils, responding to their constituents, declared their wish for an environmental review, state lawmakers introduced legislation to that end. But in an act of power politics, Maui Rep. Joe Souki, chairman of the Transportation Committee, refused to consider the bill.
>
> Souki and other state officials asserted it was unfair to subject the ferry to a process that had not been applied to other harbor users. That argument belies the fact that the ferry would be a unique service that in a single week could transport thousands of private vehicles, agricultural products and cargo as well as people with minimal inspection, security and documentation.
>
> The bill was a good compromise that would have allowed the ferry operation to proceed on schedule while an environmental assessment, at state expense, was conducted, and could have intercepted the legal challenges.
>
> Should an injunction halt the ferry, it would not be surprising if the company sues the state for its losses, adding to legal costs, the animosity engendered in the community and the time loss already incurred in this fiasco.
>