Editorials
Wednesday, June 12, 1996
State monitoring
of oil company pipelines
OIL spills are a cause for concern, particularly in beautiful but environmentally fragile Hawaii. In the wake of the 38,000-gallon Chevron spill at Pearl Harbor, state legislators are understandably looking for ways to stop them. However, creation of a state agency, as proposed by Sen. Rod Tam and Rep. Jim Shon, may not be the best solution. Their joint hearing on the May 14 spill coincided with a U.S. Supreme Court decision on the 1989 spill off Barbers Point of 117,000 gallons from the tanker Exxon Houston. The court ruled that Exxon must shoulder the blame for that accident, the worst in Hawaii history.
Tam and Shon want the state to monitor oil pipelines through a two-person agency that they say could be launched for as little as $100,000. That is certainly a modest amount of money, and it would be even less for the Hawaii taxpayer if the federal government picked up half of it. Shon said he was told Washington probably would do that. However, why a two-person operation should require the creation of a new agency isn't clear, unless the aim is to expand it eventually, which could mean a lot more money and become itself a cause for concern.
Chevron says it has already spent $5 million to clean up the spill, and it isn't through paying yet. With that kind of money or more in the balance, the oil companies have a strong incentive to prevent pipeline leaks through their own monitoring and maintenance programs. The federal government also plays a role. Whatever additional functions the state assumes should be carefully considered in terms of need and cost before any decisions are made that will not be easily reversed.
Other editorials in brief:
Dole's departure
BOB Dole's departure from the Senate after 35 years was an emotional occasion. The senior senator from Kansas basked in the glow of accolades from his colleagues on both sides of the aisle. The man who had held the job of Republican majority leader longer than anyone else clearly had won the respect and admiration of the Senate. After a long and distinguished career as a Washington insider, presidential candidate Dole has to appeal to people who care little about the intricacies of legislation but demand that their problems be addressed. It won't be easy for him to make that switch and win support from the voters as he has from his senatorial colleagues.
Tobacco stocks
IN deciding whether to divest the state Employees' Retirement System of its shares of tobacco company stock, the board of trustees chose a pragmatic rather than an idealistic position. The board rejected a request by the Hawaii Medical Association that it sell its tobacco stocks because of the harmful effects of smoking.
The crucial question is whether divestiture would have the desired effect of discouraging tobacco production and sales. That would be the case only if enough other investors agreed to boycott tobacco stocks, which is improbable. The trustees probably made the right call.
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