Opinion ID: 6493113
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Petition to Amend Interim Instream Flow Standards

Text: In June of 2004, Hui/MTF filed a Petition to Amend Interim Instream Flow Standards. In its petition, Hui/MTF argued that the then-existing standards, which had been in place since 1988, lacked any scientific basis and merely preserved the status quo without addressing the public trust, environmental concerns, native Hawaiian practices, outdoor and recreational activities, or aesthetic and scenic values, as required by the water code. Hui/MTF requested that the Commission establish scientifically-based IIFS and order restoration of all streamflows not currently put to beneficial use. HC & S and Wailuku Agribusiness Company filed comments to the petition, largely arguing that their use is reasonable and beneficial, that the petition did not prove the necessity of establishing new standards, and that the Petition did not show how native Hawaiian practitioners would use the water or how much they would need to use. Hui/ MTF responded that the burden falls on the Commission, not on Hui/MTF, to determine reasonable IIFS and to protect instream public trust uses and native Hawaiian rights.