HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0377.453 2024-2026COUNT Y CLERK
COUNTY OF HAWAl;
Aloha Chair Inaba, Vice Chair Onishi and councilmembers, 285 SEP -2 AN 9: 17
Re:Resolution 234-25
My name is Alizon Atkins, I have been a resident of Hawaii Island for 42 years. I lived on Oahu
for 30 years before that and have watched the precious land base of the Hawaiian Islands
slowly be degraded and disrespected. The controversy over the uses of Pohakuloa has been on
the books for a long time! So I am testifying in strong support of this resolution urging the State
of Hawai'i to protect the health and safety of Hawaii Island residents by ceasing all live -fire
exercises at Pohakuloa Training Area until a full archaeological inventory survey and Ka Pa'akai
analysis are completed, and by rejecting any lease renewals or land swaps with the military.
For over six decades, the military has used these sacred conservation lands at
Pohakuloa—leased for just $1 in 1964—for destructive training activities. Despite their legal and
cultural significance, these lands have been bombed, burned, and contaminated. More than
1,000 wildfires have been sparked, endangered species habitats destroyed, and unexploded
ordnance and depleted uranium shells continue to threaten the safety of our people and
environment. In the entire time they occupied PTA, the Army has given the people of
Hawai'i NO indication they will ever be good stewards.
The courts have already confirmed that the State has failed to uphold its constitutional duty to
monitor and protect these lands. In Ching v. Case (2019), the Hawall Supreme Court found the
State breached its trust obligations by neglecting cleanup and oversight responsibilities at
Pohakuloa. These failures cannot continue.
The Army's own environmental review was rejected by the Board of Land and Natural
Resources in May. The FEIS omitted key cultural and environmental surveys, failed to
meaningfully assess contamination risks to groundwater, and ignored the constitutional
requirement to protect Native Hawaiian rights. To this day, no comprehensive archaeological
inventory survey or Ka Pa'akai analysis has been completed, despite their clear legal mandate
The Hawai'i State Constitution is explicit: these public trust lands must be held for the benefit of
Native Hawaiians and the general public —not for military destruction. Article XI I, Section 7
further mandates protection of Native Hawaiian cultural and religious practices. Continuing
live -fire exercises in violation of these constitutional protections is unacceptable.
Before any discussion of lease renewal or land swaps, the military must first finance and
complete a comprehensive cleanup, restoration, and bioremediation plan to heal the lands it has
degraded.
Approving Resolution 234-25 sends a powerful message that Hawa►'i County stands with its
people —families, communities, cultural practitioners, and environmental stewards who have
long raised concerns about PTAs short- and long-term impacts.
Comm.
Ref. T.
Ref. Date P - R 2025
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.
Signed
aim am"
Alizon Atkins
Olaa, HI
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