HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0377.225 2024-2026From: Leilani Lindsey Kaapuni
Sent: Monday, August 18, 2025 7:12 AM
To: Council Testimony
Cc: Kimball, Heather, Kagiwada, Jennifer Onishi, Dennis; Kierkiewicz, Ashley; Wealijz.,
Kleinfelder, Matt; Galimba, Michelle M.; Villegas, Rebecca; Inaba, Holeka; F-u'stacpn
a Z�_-o
James c =c
Subject: Please SUPPORT Resolution 234-25
co a <
=r—
Aloha Chair and Council Members, —
D�
My name is Leilani Lindsey Ka'apuni. I reside at Pi'ihonua, Hilo, Hawaii and I stand in full support of Resolution 234-25 to
protect the health, safety, and cultural integrity of Hawaii Island. This is a historic and important opportunity for our
residents.
I ask that you unanimously Vote in SUPPORT of Resolution 234-25 that will help end Pohakuloa live fire and bombing
practice, and further contamination and destruction of the landscape and soil/air quality in the Pohakuloa Training Area,
rejecting land swaps and lease renewals with the military unless specific stipulations are established, with the U.S.
Military adhering to our Hawai'i State Constitution and motto through the Ka Pa'akai Analysis on the area.
For decades, Pohakuloa—a sacred and ecologically vital area —has been subjected to contamination and destruction
from military activity. These impacts extend far beyond the immediate training grounds. What happens on our land
directly affects our island's water quality and quantity. The pollutants and toxins from bombing and live fire seep into the
soil, travel into our aquifers, and threaten the clean water that sustains our families, farms, and fisheries.
The Board of Land and Natural Resources recognized this danger when they denied the U.S. Army's Final Environmental
Impact Statement in May 2025—its second failure to meet the requirements of our laws. The Army's recent, partial
clean-up efforts are not acts of goodwill; they are strategic moves to secure more land and reframe their public image.
True stewardship means consistent respect for cultural sites and environmental health —not compliance only when more
land is at stake.
Pohakuloa is culturallysacred. It is also centrally located at high elevation and greatly impacts our island's ecological
health. We cannot allow further poisoning of our land, air, and water under the guise of national defense. Protecting this
area is protecting our people, our culture, and our future.
I urge you to adopt Resolution 234-25 without delay.
Mahalo nui loa,
Leilani Lindsey Ka'apuni
Pi'ihonua, Hilo, Hawaii
Comm. o a:ft �✓ '
Ref. To:
Ref. Date