HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0377.468 2024-2026From:
Shantee Brown
Sent:
Tuesday, September 2, 2025 12A6 AM
To:
Council Testimony
Cc:
Kimball, Heather, Kagiwada, Jennifer; Onishi, Dennis; Kierkiewia, Ashley, Kanealii-
Kleinfelder, Matt; Galimba, Michelle M.; Villegas, Rebecca; Inaba, Holeka; Hustace,
James
Subject: Please continue your SUPPORT for Res. 234-25 and Add 2 amendments �E3
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Aloha Chair and Council Members, e
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1 stand in support of Resolution 234-25 with 2.amendments:
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1. Change "unless" to "and" so it reads: N y s
Rejecting land swaps and lease renewals, and requiring comprehensive cleanup, restoration, and
bioremediation at Pohakuloa.
2. Add: Condemn any backroom deals between the Governor and the military, recognizing that
such secret agreements are unlawful and undermine the interests of Kanaka Maoli.
This is a historic and important opportunity for our residents to protect the health, safety, and cultural
integrity of Hawai'i Island. We ask that you unanimously Vote in SUPPORT of Resolution 234-25 that will
help end Pohakuloa live fire and bombing practice, and further contamination and destruction of the
landscape and soil/air quality in the Pohakuloa Training Area, rejecting land swaps and lease renewals
with the military unless specific stipulations are established, with the U.S. Military adhering to our
Hawaii State Constitution and motto through the Ka Pa'akai Analysis on the area.
For decades, Pohakuloa—a sacred and ecologically vital area —has been subjected to contamination
and destruction from military activity. These impacts extend far beyond the immediate training grounds.
What happens on our land directly affects our island's water quality and quantity. The pollutants and
toxins from bombing and live fire seep into the soil, travel into our aquifers, and threaten the clean water
that sustains our families, farms, and fisheries.
The Board of Land and Natural Resources recognized this danger when they denied the U.S. Army's Final
Environmental Impact Statement in May 2025—its second failure to meet the requirements of our laws.
The Army's recent, partial clean-up efforts are not acts of goodwill; they are strategic moves to secure
more land and reframe their public image. True stewardship means consistent respect for cultural sites
and environmental health —not compliance only when more land is at stake.
Pohakuloa is culturally sacred. It is also centrally located at high elevation and greatly impacts our
island's ecological health. We cannot allow further poisoning of our land, air, and water under the guise
of national defense. Protecting this area is protecting our people, our culture, and our future.
I urge you to adopt Resolution 234-25 without delay. Comm.
Ref. To:
t Ref. Date P - 3 2025
Please review these articles:
The Cost of the U.S. Military in Hawai'i:
https://h awa i ifi rst. blog/2025/08/27/th e-cost-of-h osti ng-the-u-s-military-i n-h awa i%CA%BBi/
The Army is Not Our Neighbor:
https://ethanmckown.substack.com/p/the-army-is-not-our-
neigh bo r?r=3 bxyhg&tried Red irect=true&utm_medium=ios
Mahalo,
Shantee Brown
District 8