The Hawaii Superferry has created an alignment of interests that may be unique in political activism for the wide range of people and groups involved.

In the crowd that gathered against the ferry on Kaua'i on Sunday were protesters who cited the vessel's fuel inefficiency, the danger to marine life from its speed, the fear that alien invasive species will be carried to the island, concerns that O'ahu folks will crowd Kaua'i beaches and surf breaks, that traffic will be worsened, that criminals will arrive with drugs, and so on.

For some, the whole problem is simply the sense that the state Department of Transportation and the Superferry refused to conduct the kind of public environmental studies that would identify environmental problems, and review possible solutions.

"If they would have done this right, we would have welcomed the Superferry with open arms," said Rich Hoeppner, of Wailua, Kaua'i, who said he liked the idea of the ferry until he learned there would be no comprehensive review of its impacts.

But there are also residents who feel the ferry is a breath of fresh air in interisland transportation.

"My family and I support the Hawaii Superferry as an alternative transportation mode. We've been looking forward to its launch. We and thousands of Hawaiian citizens overwhelmingly embrace this opportunity to travel interisland by this means of transportation," wrote Mrs. E.T. Yamasaki in an e-mail.

'UTTER SILENCE'

Many opponents have specific concerns.

On Maui, Karen Chun learned of the Superferry when she was a coach at Na Kai 'Ewalu canoe club at Kahului Harbor, and discovered that the state planned to restrict canoe access to traditional paddling waters to accommodate the ferry. She said she became frustrated after repeatedly proposing solutions and getting no response or negative response from Superferry or the Transportation Department.

She said she proposed the ferry dock be moved so it wouldn't interfere with paddling, that an exemption for paddlers be established to the 100-yard ferry security zone, or that the ferry alter its schedule the seven or eight days a year when a canoe regatta is taking place. The response, she said, was "utter silence from the powers that be."

"We hope that the (environmental assessment) process will force the DOT, Superferry and the Coast Guard to come up with some solution to this problem," Chun said.

The Hawaiian-Environmental Alliance, Kahea, opposes the ferry for several reasons, among them the concern that fast ferries threaten whales in the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, said Kahea program director Marti Townsend.

"If we're really going to protect whales, we can't have high-speed boats going through our whale sanctuary," she said.

MAUI, KAUA'I DISSENT

While there are several O'ahu and Big Island organizations that have expressed concern about the ferry, Maui and Kaua'i, its initial ports of call, have been the hotbeds of dissent.

Dick Mayer, a retired economics professor from Kula, Maui, said that may be because the impacts are potentially so great on the less populated islands.

"This thing is entirely O'ahu-centric. It will be utilized by people on O'ahu much more than the Neighbor Islands. I can't see why people on Maui would want to take their car to O'ahu, but I see plenty of reasons for O'ahu people to come to Maui, to camp, to fish our reefs. Just drive off the ferry, stop at Costco for supplies, and hit the beaches," Mayer said.

Kaua'i County Councilman and former Mayor JoAnn Yukimura said essentially the same thing.

"Kaua'i is becoming a weekend suburb of Honolulu. There are huge costs for us, in transportation, police, and other services. The state is imposing things on this island, without ever even getting our input," Yukimura said. The Kaua'i County Council in January 2005 passed a resolution calling for an environmental impact statement. The councils on Maui and Hawai'i passed similar resolutions.

She said she has been interested in how broad the opposition to the ferry seems to be.

"I think the opposition is very deep. It goes from Hawaiian activists to local surfers to people who are concerned about right process of government," she said. Among the activists are members of the Hawaiian sovereignty organization, the Polynesian Kingdom of Atooi.

Community activist and blogger Juan Wilson (www.islandbreath.com), had a similar assessment to Yukimura's.

"There were a lot of young people, middle-aged couples without any ax to grind, some greens, some Sierra Clubbers, and a lot of Native Hawaiians," Wilson said.

6,000 SIGNATURES

Hoeppner said that when he went out for signatures on a petition seeking an environmental assessment, 80 out of every 100 people he asked signed his petition. He ended up with 6,000 signatures, he said.

A number of Kaua'i organizations, including ones concerned with the environment, planning, transportation and other issues, formed a pro-ferry EIS group called Hui-R (a play on "who we are").

Supporters include the 1,000 Friends of Kaua'i, People to Preserve Kaua'i and others. On Maui, court action against the lack of an environmental impact statement is led by the groups Maui Tomorrow, Kahului Harbor Coalition and Maui Sierra Club.

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.