HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0377.455 2024-2026C
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From: Lei Ayat-Verdadero
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Sent: Friday, August 29, 2025 6:21 AM
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To: Council Testimony
Subject: Strong Support of Resolution 234-25
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Aloha Chair Inaba, Vice Chair Onishi and councilmembers,
My name is Lei Ayat-Verdadero, and I am testifying in strong support of this resolution urging the State of
Hawaii 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 and any similar entities.
For over six decades, the military has brutalized our sacred conservation lands at Pohakuloa—leased for
a steal at $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
Pohakuloa, the Army has given the people of Hawai'i NO indication they will ever be good stewards.
Courts have already confirmed that the there has been a failure to monitor and protect these lands. In
Chingv. Case (2019), the Hawai'i Supreme Court found the State breached its trust obligations by
neglecting cleanup and oversight responsibilities at Pohakuloa. These failures are also federal and the
military 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 XII, 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. Don't let
Kaho'olawe happen again.
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.
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Ref. To:
Ref. Date p - &12025
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,
Lei