USA, Hawai'i:

Puna Geothermal Relocations Taking Millions From Fund (Big Island Now)

Puna Geothermal Venture (Courtesy Ormat)

A program initiated in the 1980s to aid the relocation of residents affected by the construction of the Ormat geothermal power plant in Puna could be drifting away from its original intent, according to sources within the county government.

Back in 1995, the Hawaii County Council amended the county code to allocate the county’s share of geothermal royalties paid by Puna Geothermal Venture toward a “Geothermal Relocation Fund.”

More changes were made about a decade later that changed the name of the fund to the Geothermal Relocation and Community Benefits Fund and its function to allow any royalties not used for relocations to be deployed for community benefits in the Puna district.

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