HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0377.093 2024-2026From: Cheryl B
Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2025 5A5 PM
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To: Council Testimony
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Subject: Resolution 234-25 STRONG SUPPORT
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TESTIMONY IN STRONG SUPPORT OF RESOLUTION 234-25
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Aloha Chair and Committee Members,
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Mahalo for the opportunity to submit testimony in strong support of Resolution 234-25, which calls on
the State of Hawai'i to act urgently and responsibly to safeguard the health, safety, and cultural integrity
of Hawaii Island by addressing the ongoing damage caused by military operations at the Pohakuloa
Training Area (PTA).
For generations, the people of Hawai'i Island have carried the heavy burden of toxic military practices at
PTA. The use of depleted uranium, white phosphorus, and other dangerous substances has led to lasting
environmental harm, continuing to endanger our island's water, air, and soil. The State's neglect in
monitoring these lands —highlighted by the Hawai'i Supreme Court in Chingv. Case —is not only a legal
failure but a moral one.
Equally critical is the cultural desecration of Pohakuloa. Native Hawaiian practitioners have always
recognized this'aina as sacred. The relentless bombing and destruction of this wahi pane violate their
constitutional rights. It is alarming that, despite clear legal mandates, a Ka Pa'akai analysis has never
been carried out. This is far more than a bureaucratic lapse —it is a profound disregard for Native
Hawaiian traditional and customary practices.
Wildfires sparked or worsened by military training have burned thousands of acres of ranch, farm, and
homestead lands —displacing families, damaging ecosystems, and threatening the livelihoods of island
residents. This devastation cannot be allowed to continue in the name of national defense.
Resolution 234-25 makes reasonable and necessary demands:
. An immediate halt to bombing and desecration at PTA;
. No lease renewals or land exchanges without genuine commitment to cleanup and cultural
restoration;
. Full compliance with the Ka Pa'akai framework, as Hawai'i law requires.
We respectfully urge the committee to advance Resolution 234-25 and send a strong message to both
the State and federal government: The people of Hawaii will no longer accept pollution, neglect, and
cultural harm on our'aina.
We carry a responsibility —to today's community and to future generations —to malama'aina, safeguard
sacred places, and uphold justice.
Mahalo for your time and for your dedication to the health and future of our island and its peo le.
t Comm.
Pof.%: OR I D all
Ref. Date
C.Burghardt
D. Green
Nuuanu Oahu