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Home My WebLink AboutCOM 0377.057 2024-2026P / COUNCIL SUBMITTED BY: PUA CASEE RES. 234-25 COMM. 377 r COUNTY CLERK 'COUNTY OF HAXW I I CR Time 10.'MM Shy r Date W25 5EP - 3 Joint Statement from Native Hawaiian Community Organizations on Expiration of Military Leases in Hawaii ` Septembef 2, 2025 n As a network of Native Hawaiian organizations, committed to the protection of our'aina, culture, communities, and people, we stand united in calling on the State of Hawai'i to uphold its legal and moral responsibilities by ensuring Native Hawaiian community representation in all decision -making related to,expirind-U.Z military land leases across the Hawaiian Islands. In recent weeks, ,U.S. Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll visited Govemor Josh Green, calling for a more. aggressive timeline forthe negotiations over Pohakuloa Training Center. Fast tracking,,new land agreements or `frameworks" for Pohakuloa and the other leases expiring in2029/2030 would be a serious misstep. I jL The U.S. military land holdings in Hawai'i total nearly 222,000 acres, including over 91,890 acres of Hawaiian Kingdom crown and government lands transferred between 1917 and 1964 from the Territory of Hawai'i and State of, Hawai'i to the-U.S. military, over4l5;258 acres taken from the trusts of Queen Emma,and. Ke AIN Pauahi by the,U.S. military, and 39,000 acres of State -leased public lands for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. military training and activities at Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA) on Hawaii Island; Kahuku Training Area, Makua Military Reservation, and Kawailoa-Poamoho Training Area on Oahu; Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) on Kauai; and at various; other locations throughout the islands. These are Hawaiian national lands and sacred ancestral lands, which are currently entrusted to the State for the benefit of present and future generations. As stated in Public Law 103-150, the Hawaiian people never directly relinquished our claims to sovereignty as a people or over our national lands to the United States, either through our monarchy or through a plebiscite or referendum. We emphasize that these are our claims, and therefore no state. actor should make unilateral determinations on the best course of action for the benefit of Native Hawaiians with regard to lease negotiations. We further emphasize that the military's long=term presence in. Hawai'i has had wide-ranging and harmful effects on the well-being of Native Hawaiians and other impacted communities, including: • Forced displacement of Native Hawaiians from their homes to make way for military installations, as in Makua Valley. Corm. NoAl .v Ref. To: VIMID Ref. Dote SE — 3 2025 1 Al N al -The 4egradation of environmental and cultural sites through live -fire training, Y imawnexplodedrordnance, fuel spills, contamination, and wildfires. Notable examples are 1 (11th2ikdlba, .Kpho'olawe, and Red Hill. r _•_ ��evefely-.zestricfed access to land for traditional practices and subsistence. • :Exacerbation of,q..awa!'i's housing crisis, as military personnel and resources `indrease competition for limited housing, inflating prices and reducing availability for local families. Chronic underinvestment in land restoration and community health, even as military use continues_ r, IL 1,j . Given these conditions, we call on Governor Josh Green, the Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR), and the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) to take the following, steps: k 1. Include Native Hawaiian Community Representation in Decision -Making Asa people recognized by the United States as having never relinquished our claims to, sovereignty or our national lands, and as named beneficiaries of the Public Land Trust under the Hawai'i Constitution, Native Hawaiians must have representation in k decision -making and in all ongoing discussions concerning lands to which we hold national, ancestral, and spiritual ties, especially Native Hawaiian communities, organizations,. and individuals who have fought for the care and return of these lands for many years. 2. Vigorously Pursue the Cleanup and Return of all Lands Leased to the Military The State must enter negotiations with the explicit aim of significantly reducing the military's geographic footprint and'impact in Hawaii, securing the prompt return of land to Native, Hawaiian community stewardship for cultural, conservation, agricultural, and housing uses. The reduction must go well beyond Makua Valley, which the Army already relinquished use of over 20 years ago. We strongly oppose any attempts'to expand the military's'dontrol over Hawaiian lands. 3. Center Accountability, Oversight, and Restitution Negotiations must seek bold compensation and/or restitution for the military's past ' egregious breaches in lease terms and for the historic and ongoing impacts of militarization. Y 4. Follow the Law All proposed land agreements must undergo rigorous environmental, cultural, and legal review in compliance with the Hawaii State Constitution, Hawai'.i Revised Statutes, National Environmental Policy Act, Hawai'i Environmental Policy Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, and other applicable laws. 5. Commit to Transparency and Consent ry Principles of free, prior, and informed consent, are critical. This requires a transparent, inclusive process that engages impacted communities directly, allows sufficient time for deliberation, and ensures full public access to all relevant information — not token , consultation or selective outreach to pre -approved representatives. No agreements should .proceed otherwise. 2of4 k' �-,t� Y a _ v This is a moment of consequence. The decisions made over the next few years -will shape the future of our lands for generations. As organizations rooted in kuleana, aloha `.aina, justice, and self-determination, we urge the State to resist Federal pressure to act with haste —but rather with the values aligned with the ancestral kuleana to steward the lands and govem for the people of Hawaii on behalf of past and future generations. . � We urge Governor Green: Do not bypass the people. We urge the State: Do not negotiate away our future. We stand ready to engage and protect our land and community in a respectful, inclusive, and solutions -oriented process in which we are rooted in the core value aloha 'aina—one that honors our shared kuleana to protect in a peaceful and pono manner, the health of our land, water, and lahui. Signed, c , <4 F PROTECT KAHO'OLAWE 'OHANA MALAMA MAKUA - 1 NA KIA'I O POHAKULOA § KO'OLAU WAIALUA ALLIANCE ` ROYAL ORDER OF KAMEHAMEHA I rJ. HAWAI'I COUNCIL OF THE ASSOCIATION OF HAWAIIAN CIVIC CLUBS KO'OLAULOA HAWAIIAN CIVIC CLUB 'AINA ALOHA ECONOMIC FUTURES HAWAI'l UNITY AND LIBERATION INSTITUTE (H.U.L.I.). HUI ALOHA'AINA KANAEOKANA 'AINA MOMONA LA HO'IHO'I EA HONOLULU I OLA WAILUANUI HUI IWI KUAMO'O HAWAI'I PEACE AND JUSTICE PA KAKAU UHI HAWAI'I HUI O KUAPA NA'AIKANE O MAUI `ILIO'ULAOKALANI COALITION HO'A, LLC 3of4 ' s I KUMANO I KE ALA r ' JON OSORIO —DEAN OF`HAWAI'INUTAKEA SCHOOL OF HAWAIfAN`KNOWLEDGE t KAMANA BEAMER — DIRECTOR, KAMAKAKOOKALANI CENTER FOR;HAWAIIAN STUDIES 'AHA KANE FOUNDATION NOHOPAPA HAWAN HULIAUAPA'A ALOHA KUAMO'O'AINA '� T LALAKEA FOUNDATION , HO'IWAI, FUND. HAWAI'I INVESTMENT READY HAU'OPO A KOLA'IAKEA KAKALAIOA (OAHU) KA POHOLIMA KA'EO (MAUI) art LAWALE LEHUA O ALAKOKO (KAUA'I) k HALE MUA O KO'OLAU , KOPA'A KUILIMA LAHUI FOUNDATION , vF �t- DEFEND O'AHU COALITION , KEEP HAWAN PONO KEEP THE COUNTRY COUNTRY A a t t a. s ` a s i 4 of 4 r t