State Buys a Lemon: Taxpayers on the Hook for A&B’s Decades of Neglect
Another day, another corporate handout disguised as public safety. The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) announced it will seize the decrepit Kaupakalua Dam from East Maui Irrigation Co. Ltd. (EMI), a subsidiary of corporate giant Alexander & Baldwin (A&B). This isn’t a victory; it’s a taxpayer fleecing. A&B, after milking this 118-year-old dam for over a century, gets to offload its liability onto us. The 2021 near-disaster, where the dam overflowed by six inches, was no accident. It was the predictable outcome of corporate indifference. Now, the state, led by DLNR Chair Dawn Chang, is stepping in. Chang claims this is “a critical step towards ensuring the long-term safety.” Critical for whom? For A&B, who no longer has to pay for repairs on a structure they built for their own profit.The Shell Game: A&B Wins, We Pay
Let’s be clear: EMI and A&B benefited from this dam for generations. They used it to divert water, generate revenue, and grow their empire. But when the bill for maintenance came due, suddenly it’s a public problem. The state legislature already earmarked $100 million for dam safety statewide post-2021. How much of that will now vanish into Kaupakalua’s crumbling infrastructure? This isn’t charity; it’s corporate socialism. A&B maintained a 200-million-gallon liability until it became too expensive. Then, like clockwork, the state swooped in. We’re talking tens of millions, possibly over a hundred million, just to fix what A&B neglected. Where is A&B’s accountability? Their representative offers platitudes about “smooth transition.” Smooth for them, perhaps.Who Benefits? Not You.
DLNR spins this as a win for Haiku, Peahi, and Paia residents. Enhanced safety, they say. But at what cost? Taxpayers will foot the bill for decades of corporate neglect. The state claims it needs to “implement modern dam safety standards.” Why weren’t these standards enforced on A&B before a near-catastrophe? And what about the unspoken victims? Downstream agricultural users could see water disruptions. Cultural practitioners, whose voices are always an afterthought, will likely be ignored in the rush to fix A&B’s mess. This isn’t about public safety; it’s about bailing out a corporation.The Real Story: A Pattern of Neglect
The Ka Loko Dam disaster in 2006, which killed seven people, should have been the wake-up call. It led to “overhauled” dam safety regulations. Yet, 15 years later, Kaupakalua nearly failed. This exposes the regulations as toothless and enforcement as a joke. The state’s move on Kaupakalua isn’t proactive; it’s reactive. It took a near-disaster for them to act. This dam, built in 1908, should have been a priority long ago. Instead, it was allowed to rot under private ownership. This situation echoes the Wahiawa Reservoir fiasco, where Dole escaped liability.[deleted by user]The public outrage was palpable: “Dole starves it for decades, now we foot the bill to upgrade their irrigation toy? Corporate socialism at its finest.” The same applies here. We need to ask: What other ticking time bombs are out there? What other corporations are waiting for the state to clean up their messes? This isn’t the end of the story. It’s just the beginning of taxpayers holding the bag for corporate greed. Demand answers. Demand accountability. Stop the corporate welfare.
by incs2
Photo: Photo by obenchainr on Openverse (flickr) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/26309519@N04/4761578891)
Source: Google News
