Governor of Hawaii hears ferry foes' boos

LIHUE, Hawaii - Opponents of the first passenger-vehicle ferry between major Hawaiian Islands greeted Governor Linda Lingle with boos and interruptions as she tried to sell the project to residents of Kauai.

Despite the angry reception yesterday, the Republican governor said the Hawaii Superferry would resume service between Oahu and Kauai on Wednesday under Coast Guard protection.

Residents, many of whom oppose the ferry on environmental grounds, packed the 1,000-seat Kauai War Memorial convention hall. They shouted down Lingle, the state transportation director, and a Coast Guard official as they tried to discuss the resumption of the service.

"We are not going to allow this to happen," ferry opponent Robert Pa said to a chorus of cheers. "The first whale that's killed, I'm going to drag it to [mayor of Kauai] Bryan Baptiste's office."

The officials warned the crowd about state and federal penalties for disrupting the ferry, which offers an alternative to air travel.

Ferry service was stopped three weeks ago by waterborne protesters in Kauai's Nawiliwili Harbor and by a court order on Maui.