Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 14, Number 4, 1 ʻApelila 1997 — Page A3 Advertisements Column 3 [ADVERTISEMENT]

What Is The Current Status Of The Heely Decision? The case will be heard in the Hawai'i lilli Supreme Court. The final outcome may be months or even years away. 1 The State and OHA, howevep are free to negotiate an out-of-court settlement at any time. WēĒ How Do Airport Landing Fees Impact Ceded Lands Revenue? J The state has paid OHA a share of landing fees dating back to 1980. These fees are shared with Hawaiians because most of the runways at Honolulu Intemational Airport are on ceded lands. Ilie current fees - whieh amounl |J* to roughly $2.50 per mainland roundtrip passenger ticket - were determined wifh OHA's share - approximately 50c ! per bcket - already in mind. -3 Last year, a federal official proposed that the sharing of airport ; revenue with Hawaiians is not in eomplianee with FAA guidelines - despite the fact that the airport is on ceded lands. Although Hawai'i and other states have successfully ehallenged similar opinions in the past, the adminLstration has chosen not to do so, and has stopped making payments toOHA. Could A Ceded Lands Settlement Tmly "Bankrupt" The State? At the time of the Judge Heely decision, back payments due Hawaiians were estimated by OHA at $120 million (before interest). But after meeting with airline industry lobbyists, the state adminLStration began quoting estimates as high $1.2 billion. OLIA Chair Qayton Hee characterizes such figures as "scare tactics" to intimidate Hawaiians and mislead the public. In fact, OHA's current payments from ceded land revenues are less than one-tenth of one percent of the state's annual budget, so even a significant increase could not bankmpt the state. OHA Trustees have repeatedly stated that they are willing to negotiate a ceded land revenue settlement that is both reasonable and fair. gS|