The PLDC, which announced earlier in the day that it had canceled its next board meeting, was in the process of approving rules to govern the agency. Draft rules have gone out twice for public hearings and been met largely with criticism. During the first round of hearings this summer, nearly 700 people came out to register their opposition to the PLDC, which acts as a development arm of DLNR.

But abolishing the PLDC won't be on the agenda in the upcoming meetings.

"Most of the testimony that we received during this process was repeal, repeal, repeal," said Aila. "We don't have the ability to address that."

The Abercrombie administration as well as the board of the PLDC is required to carry out the legislative intent of the agency, which was created last year. Attempts to repeal the agency or restrict its powers must be brought up this legislative session, which begins in mid-January. Aila will be meeting with groups that commented specifically on how they would like to see the rules amended.

Abercrombie said that he hoped addressing uneasiness about the rules could stave off a repeal.

"I think much of the idea about repeal is because there were not rules," said Abercrombie. "Nobody knew how it was going to work. That's the whole idea of having the rule making process. So it might be that once that becomes clear, where there is not a vacuum as to how the legislation would be implemented, where there's no longer that vacuum, it may be those concerns are sufficiently addressed."

The PLDC is tasked with enlisting the help of private companies to develop public lands and shore up aging public infrastructure. Abercrombie has said that the agency, which can bypass county zoning rules, could help revamp the dilapidated Waikiki Natatorium, refurbish aging public schools and revitalize fallow agricultural lands in central Oahu.

But the PLDC has had a tough time moving forward and has not carried out any projects. It's executive director and board have been working on rules to govern the agency for nearly a year.

It could be difficult to stop lawmakers from repealing or restricting the powers of the PLDC. The county councils on the Big Island, Kauai and Maui have passed resolutions urging the Legislature to repeal the agency. An increasing number of lawmakers have come out in opposition to the PLDC, warning that it doesn't provide adequate environmental controls and could lead to backroom deals with developers. And a shake-up in the leadership of the state House means that bills addressing the concerns over the PLDC will likely get a full hearing this year.

House Speaker Calvin Say, who has supported the PLDC, appears to have been ousted from more than a decade in that job. Earlier this week, Rep. Joe Souki, who is from Maui, announced that he had the 28 votes needed to make him speaker. Members of the House won't officially elect a speaker until the session opens Jan. 16.

And Senate President Shan Tsutsui has already said that he plans to introduce bills that both repeal and restrict the powers of the PLDC.

Despite, the heated rhetoric and growing political opposition toward the PLDC, Abercrombie said he hoped that upcoming meetings with critics will help quell the call for repeal.

"I don't want a good thing that could happen to be lost because we in turn get lost in the weeds of confrontation and accusations that don't really accomplish anything," he said. "That's unproductive. It's ill-advised and unproductive. I'm saying let's take time now in order to make time count."

DISCUSSION: Do you think that the upcoming meetings will help reduce the political hostility toward the PLDC?