A state Senate committee rejected the appointment of Carleton Ching as chairman of the Board of Land and Natural Resources Thursday, setting the stage for a contentious vote in the full Senate over Gov. David Ige's most controversial decision so far.
Members of the Senate Committee on Water and Land voted 5-2 to not recommend the nomination after two days of hearings that included testimony from dozens of unhappy environmentalists who argued Ching is not qualified to lead the Department of Land and Natural Resources and its 900 employees.
The committee also spent hours Wednesday and Thursday grilling Ching on his background working for developers.
