HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0377.344 2024-2026From: Stephen Paulmier o
Sent: Monday, August 18, 2025 5:22 AM c =
To: Council Testimony c� --f
Subject: In support of Resolution 234-25 — �—
m o -<
i
Nm
The military needs to Stop Bombing and Shelling Pohakuloa, Clean up the unexploded opnance
and toxic mess it has created from 80 years of live fire, do a comprehensive Ka Pa'akai analysis,
and return the stolen land to the Hawaiian people. The Hawaii County Council passed Resolution
639-08 seventeen years ago which called for 8 actions by the military, including stopping all live
fire and cleaning up its DU mess, none of which have been addressed.
Hawaii is the most densely militarized state in the USA and one of the most militarized places in
the world. According to the State of Hawaii 2023 Data book (http:///dbedt.hawaii.gov. the current
number of military installations in Hawai'i is 129. A Civil Beat article of June 18,
2025, https://www.civilbeat.oriz/2025/06 fhawaii-needs-new-tech-to-clean-up-old-
bombs says MORE THAN 300 "Formerly Used Defense Sites" (FUDS) are scattered across the
Hawaiian Islands. That only includes sites before 1986 so Kaho'olawe and possibly other sites are
NOT included in this list of more than 300 total FUDS. In 2003, Malu'Aina prepared a map of
Hawaii island with a list of 57 present or former military sites. (htWs: //malu-aina.org/?o=11342.)
A 58th site is Popoki Target Area near HPP between Kea'au and Pahoa. There may be more sites
that are still unknown. Watch where you step!
The military currently controls more than 221,000 acres of land in Hawaii. Pohakuloa totals
nearly 133,000 acres, more than half of all military lands in Hawaii. Now the military wants more
lands to create "Buffer Zones" around key military installations called "Sentinel Landscapes." It
wants to create a control buffer zone of more than 66,000 acres around the entire PTA base
according to the Hawaii Military Land Use Master Plan (HMLUMP). These "Buffer Zones" will be
used to co-opt environmental groups and farmers from criticizing the military if they want to
keep access to lands around bases. Please tell us who would want to eat vegetables or a
hamburger from crops or animals grown next to the Pohakuloa Toxic Area?
In summary, Pohakuloa is the 133,000 toxic crisis awaiting media exposure, just like Red Hill
and Kaho'olawe were but in the center of Hawaii Island. Continued bombing and shelling there
re -suspend toxins into the air that can be carried long distances in the wind. Military toxins have
the potential to contaminate major aquifers beneath Pohakuloa. Pohakuloa is a zoned a State
Conservation District. The highest protected land status. Bombing and shelling are not compatible
land uses in a conservation district. How much more basic can you get. The final EIS on the PTA
lease renewal states that since 1975,1261 wildfires have been started at Pohakuloa. The EIS
further states that records prior to 2012 are incomplete so the actual number of wildfires started
at PTA could be higher. It also states that due to increasing climate change the number of wildfires
is likely to increase. Let us be frank. Council members need to do more than urge the State to take
action. Council needs to take action. Malu 'Aina since 2007 has detected on numerous occasions
Radiation blowing in the strong winds off Pohakuloa toward Gilbert Kahele Park with certified,
calibrated radiation monitors. The levels reached 3, 4, even 5 times background levels. When are
you going to put proper air filter monitors in that park to determine the toxins coming off PTA?
When is the Council going to protect the public by demanding soil testing in that park? We expect
Council to act in the public interest and demand accountability for actions that cause harm to the
Aina:
Comm
1 Ref.To: _
Ref. Date Zfl25 —
Stephen Paulmier
Hilo