HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0377.009 2024-2026From: Cheryl B
Sent: Saturday, July 19, 2025 8:52 PM
To: Council Testimony
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Subject: July 22 meeting :Support of Resolution 234-25
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TESTIMONY IN STRONG SUPPORT OF RESOLUTION 234-25
Aloha Chair and Committee Members,
Mahalo for the opportunity to provide testimony in strong support of Resolution 234-25, which urges
the State of Hawaii to act responsibly and urgently to protect the health, safety, and cultural integrity of
Hawaii Island by addressing the ongoing harm caused by military activities at the Pohakuloa Training
Area (PTA).
For decades, the people of Hawaii Island have borne the burden of toxic military activities at PTA. The
use of depleted uranium, white phosphorus, and other hazardous materials has resulted in
environmental degradation that continues to threaten our island's water, air, and soil. The State's own
failure to monitor these lands —confirmed by the Hawaii Supreme Court in Ching v. Case —represents
not just a legal breach, but a moral one.
Beyond the environmental harm, the cultural desecration of Pohakuloa cannot be ignored. Native
Hawaiian practitioners have long considered this `aina sacred. The continued bombing and degradation
of this wahi pans is a violation of their constitutional rights. It is unacceptable that, despite clear legal
requirements, a Ka Pa`akai analysis has never been conducted. This is not just a technical oversight —
it is a fundamental failure to protect and respect Native Hawaiian traditional and customary rights.
The wildfires worsened or directly caused by military training have destroyed thousands of acres of
ranch, farm, and homestead land, displacing families, harming ecosystems, and jeopardizing the
livelihoods of local residents. We cannot continue to allow this destruction under the guise of national
defense.
This resolution does not ask for the impossible —it calls for basic accountability:
• Immediate cessation of bombing and desecration at PTA;
• No land swaps or lease renewals unless there is full commitment to environmental cleanup and
cultural restoration;
. And full compliance with the Ka Pa`akai framework, as mandated by Hawaii law.
I urge the committee to pass Resolution 234-25 and send a clear message to the State and federal
government: The people of Hawaii will no longer tolerate pollution, neglect, and cultural violence on our
Lands.
We have a duty —to this generation and the next —to malama `aina, protect sacred places, and uphold
justice. �.
Comm.
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Ref, Date 2 2025
Mahalo for your time and `your commitment to the well-being of our island and its people.
Cheryl Burghardt
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