The Advertiser's recent editorial ("Ocean cable key to attaining energy goals," Dec. 27) was right on target — not only in recognizing the important role the project can play in helping cut Hawai'i's dependence on imported fossil fuel, but also in noting that a full environmental review covering all parts of the project is essential.

Contrary to comments by Henry Curtis in The Advertiser (Island Voices, Dec. 24), the state of Hawai'i, Hawaiian Electric Co. and the developers of proposed wind farms on Läna'i and Moloka'i have pledged to do a complete and thorough environmental review of all parts of the project. Through this process we will continue to solicit extensive community comment and input on the project.

A programmatic EIS will analyze the cumulative effects of multiple activities that together make up the larger Interisland Wind project. These activities include:

• Generation of 400 MW of renewable wind energy: 200 MW on Läna'i and 200 MW on Moloka'i;

• Transmission of that electricity via undersea cable to O'ahu and possibly Maui;

• Utility infrastructure upgrades on O'ahu and possibly Maui needed to integrate large amounts of variable wind energy into the electrical grids.

As a programmatic EIS covers broad impacts over a larger region, it is common for more specific activities within the larger project to prepare another EIS and/or EA that focuses on potential site-specific impacts with reference to the findings of the larger programmatic EIS. This is called "tiering," a standard practice accepted by the reviewing agencies and the courts.

These site-specific environmental studies by the wind farm developers, Hawaiian Electric and Maui Electric companies and the state of Hawai'i are to be tiered under the umbrella programmatic EIS for the Interisland Wind project.

We understand the importance to all of Hawai'i's communities of doing a full and thorough environmental review and it is incorrect for anyone to suggest that the cumulative impacts of the entire Interisland Wind project and the site-specific impacts of the individual parts will not be thoroughly examined through the EIS process.

Additionally, while possible routes for the cable have been identified, the final route for the cable has not yet been selected, and will not be selected until after the completion of the EIS process.

We also are in the very preliminary stages of assessing the cost of this project and how it will be paid for. The individual developers are responsible for financing the wind farms, the state is responsible for financing the undersea cable and Hawaiian Electric is responsible for O'ahu grid improvements.

No one has ever hidden the fact that there will be substantive costs to all three parts of the project. At the same time, it is important to consider these costs against the $6 billion to $7 billion a year we send out of our state to import foreign oil, the cost of which is volatile and likely significantly higher in the years to come.

Anyone who wants to learn more (and raise questions or make comments) can visit http://interislandwind.com or http://hawaiicleanenergyinitiative.org and click on "undersea cable."

Ted Liu is the director of the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. Robbie Alm is executive vice president of the Hawaiian Electric Co. They wrote this commentary for The Advertiser.