HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0377.368 2024-2026Sent: Monday, August 18, 2025 8:03 AM
To: 69pounce.cube@icloud.com
Cc: Council Testimony
Subject: RE: Testimony in Strong Support of Resolution 234-25
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From: 69pounce.cube@icloud.com
Sent: Sunday, August 17, 2025 8:16 PM
To: Council Remote Testimony <councilremotetestimony@hawaiicounty.gov>
Subject: Testimony in Strong Support of Resolution 234-25
Aloha Chair Villegas and members of the Policy Committee on
Environmental and Natural Resource Management,
Mahalo for the opportunity to testify in strong support of
Resolution 234-25, which urges the state to ensure the health
and safety of Hawaii Island residents by requesting that the
military cease all bombing and desecration activities at
Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA), reject land swaps and lease
renewals without strict stipulations, and conduct a full Ka
Pa`akai Analysis of the area.
In May 2025, the state's Board of Land and Natural Resources
(BLNR) did not accept PTA's Final Environmental Impact
Statement (FEIS), citing incomplete archaeology inventory, lacrrk
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Ref.To:
Ref. Date
of endangered species data and analyses and an inadequate
Cultural Impact Assessment, which is used to address Ka
Pa'akai factors. Sustained bombing and training activities have
damaged pristine lands, the Saddle Region aquifer system, and
cultural sites for over 60 years. The resolution aligns with long-
standing community concerns that military activity continues to
pose real threats to public health, cultural integrity, and
environmental stability.
This resolution is not about questioning the Army's contributions
in regard to disaster response, emergency services or providing
a training venue for the county's first responders. Rather, it is
about establishing limits, demanding accountability, and
ensuring oversight and respect by urging the cessation of
unwarranted bombing and live -fire training and the cleanup of
PTA as required by their lease.
Approving Resolution 234-25 sends a powerful message that
Hawaii County stands with its people —families,
communities, cultural practitioners, and environmental stewards
who have long raised concerns about PTA's short- and long-
term impacts.
It signals that Hawaii County will no longer accept unilateral
military decisions that compromise our land, culture, and
health without meaningful engagement, cleanup commitments,
and legal compliance with public trust obligations.
Mahalo for your time,
Sam C.
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