HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0377.546 2024-2026cra
TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT OF HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL RESOLUTION 234-25 ED
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September 2, 2025 ro
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Aloha Chair Inaba, Vice Chair Onishi, and members of the Committee, —
Ka Lahui Hawaii stands in strong support of Resolution 234-25 to protect Pohakuloa. For moR.
than sixty years, the U.S. Army has occupied and bombed sacred, stolen Hawaiian lands at
Pohakuloa, contaminating our aquifer, destroying ecosystems, and desecrating cultural sites.
The continued use of Pohakuloa for military training cannot be justified under the pretense of
national defense; rather, it represents a persistent and systemic threat to the environmental,
cultural, and human security of Hawaii. Hawaii is forced to bear the destruction of its sacred
lands so the U.S. military can project power abroad and wage endless war. The U.S. Arley is
occupying Hawaiian lands that were taken without the free, prior, and informed consent of the
Kanaka Maoli people. This occupation serves broader imperial interests rooted in a system of
global domination built on the oppression, dispossession, and genocide of Indigenous peoples,
from Oceania to Palestine.
Resolution 234-25 is an important step, but it must be stronger. We urge two amendments:
1. Change "unless" to "and" so it reads: Rejecting land swaps and lease renewals, and
requiring comprehensive cleanup, restoration, and bioremediation at P(5hakuloa.
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.
The Army has already proven it cannot be trusted — the BLNR rejected its Final EIS for failing
to meet even the most basic requirements. Now the people of Hawaii are demanding
accountability to ensure a livable future for our children and grandchildren.
We urge you to pass Resolution 234-25 with these amendments, and stand with Kanaka Mach
and the public interest against the ongoing desecration and destruction of sacred Pohakuloa, and
for the return of these lands back into the hands of the traditional caretakers and lineal
descendants.
Aloha `aina Pohakuloa.
Me ka oiai`o,
Ka Lahui Hawaii
Comm. vl'�{a
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