HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0377.004 2024-2026P / PC,NRK
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From: jim albertini
Sent: Sunday, July 20, 2025 9:31 PM
To: Council Testimony
Subject: Support for Resolution 234-25 to cease all bombing and desecration activities at the
Pohakuloa Training Area, rejecting land swaps and lease renewals with the military
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July 20, 2025 C:
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Aloha Council members, Na -"--i
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Our organization stands in strong support of Resolution 234-25 to cease all bombing and desecration activr8s ate
Pohakuloa Training Area, rejecting land swaps and lease renewals with the military. This is an important foWW u
Resolution 639-08 passed 17 years ago calling for stopping all live fire at Pohakuloa and clean up of the De meted
Uranium radiation contamination at PTA.
I can think of no greater desecration of cultural and historic Hawaiian sites than to bomb the land of those sites. There
are many such sites at Pohakuloa, yet 50% of the 133,000 acres at the Pohakuloa Training Area has yet to be surveyed for
such sites. In addition to cultural and historic sites, PTA has more endangered species than any US military site in the
-world. That land is zoned State conservation district. The highest protected land status. Bombing and shelling are not
-compatible land uses of a State conservation district. 80 years of bombing and shelling has contaminated that land with
a wide range of military toxins that blow in the strong winds that frequent the area and by continued bombing and
shelling. PTA sits above several of Hawaii Island's main aquifers. Are military toxins contaminating the water like the the
jet fuel leaks at Red Hill on Oahu? And what about the fire hazards of continued bombing and shelling. The final EIS
done on the State lease lands at PTA stated that since 1975, Military activities have started
- 1261 wildfires at PTA. The Final EIS also stated that records prior to
2012 are incomplete, so the actual number fires could be much higher. The Final EIS also stated that due to increasing -
climate change extremes in weather, the number of wildfires is likely to increase.
Stop bombing and shelling at Pohakuloa. Make the military cleanup their toxic and unexploded bomb mess, and return
that stolen land to the Hawaiian people, in a much cleaner state than Kaho'olawe. The like cost of cleaning up Pohakuloa
will run in the tens of billions of dollars, perhaps hundreds of billions.
Jim Albertini
President of Malu'Aina
Jim Albertini Malu'Aina Center For Non-violent Education & Action P.O. Box 489 Ola'a (Kurtistown) Hawai'i 96760 Phone
808-966-7622 Email ja@malu-aina.org Visit us on the web at www.malu-aina.org
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