HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0377.371 2024-2026From: Heather Scott
Sent: Sunday, August 17, 2025 4:53 PM
To: Council Remote Testimony; Council Testimony; Kimball, Heather, Kagiwada, Jennifer;
Onishi, Dennis; Kierkiewicz, Ashley; Kanealii-Kleinfelder, Matt, Hustace, James; Galimba,
Michelle M.; Villegas, Rebecca; Inaba, Holeka
Subject: Testimony in Strong Support of Resolution 234-25 o
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Aloha Chair Villegas and members of the Policy Committee on Environmental�pd o
Natural Resource Management,
Mahalo for allowing me to share my mana`o today. I testify in strong support o`ls
Resolution 234-25, urging the state to protect the health and safety of Hawaii Band-
residents by calling for an end to the bombing and desecration of Pohakuloa Training
Area (PTA), rejecting land swaps and lease renewals without strict accountability, and
requiring a full Ka Pa`akai Analysis of the area.
As someone directly impacted by the Red Hill fuel spill, I have seen firsthand the
devastating effects of military negligence on our `a —ma and our people. Families like mine
have lived with the consequences fear for our health, loss of trust in our water, and the
painful reminder that when the military damages the land, it is the community that suffers
most. That experience is why I stand firmly with others who demand change at
P6hakuloa.
Pohakuloa is not an expendable training ground. It holds sacred cultural sites, fragile
ecosystems, and the Saddle Region aquifer that sustains life on this island. For more than
60 years, bombing and training have left deep scars, compromised our water resources,
and desecrated places essential to Native Hawaiian identity and practice.
Even the Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) recognized this in May 2025
when it rejected PTA's Final Environmental Impact Statement, citing an incomplete
archaeological inventory, missing endangered species data, and an inadequate Cultural
Impact Assessment. These failures highlight the lack of accountability and the urgent
need for oversight.
This resolution is not about dismissing the Army's role in emergency response or disaster
relief. It is about setting limits, requiring cleanup, and insisting on respect for Hawaii
Island's land and people. The military must meet its obligations, stop further harm, and
engage with our community in good faith.
By approving Resolution 234-25, Hawai`i County will stand with its people families,
cultural practitioners, and environmental stewards who have long spoken up for
Pohakuloa. It will send the message that we will no longer accept unilateral military
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decisions that compromise our `aina, our water, our culture, and our health without true
accountability and compliance with the law.
Mahalo for your time and for standing with the people of Hawaii Island to protect
Pohakuloa and safeguard future generations.
Me ka ha`aha`a,
Heather Ann Scott
LemFointron, NF. •
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