HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0377.549 2024-2026From: Malia
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Sent: Tuesday, September 2, 2025 6:51 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,
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My name is Malia Kainoa, and I am Kanaka Maoli, whose father is from 'Ewa Beach, O'ahu. Like many
of our
people, my 'ohana has experienced displacement from our homeland as a direct result of the U.S.
occupation
and destruction of Hawaii. I am testifying today in strong support of Resolution 234-25.
This resolution urges the State of Hawai'i to protect the health and safety of Hawai'i Island residents by
ceasing all live -fire exercises at Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA).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 sixty years, the military has used the conservation lands of Pohakuloa—zoned for conservation and
leased for just $1 in 1964—as a training ground for war. These lands have been bombed, burned,
contaminated, and disrespected. Over 1,000 wildfires have been ignited. Endangered species have lost their
habitats. Unexploded ordnance and depleted uranium continue to poison our'aina and threaten our health and
safety. In the entire time they occupied PTA, the Army has given the people of Hawai'i NO indication
they will ever be good stewards.
As Kanaka Maoli, I carry the pain of seeing our sacred places desecrated and our ancestral lands used for
destruction. These are not empty lands —they are storied landscapes that carry the mana and history of our
kupuna.
The courts have already affirmed this negligence. In Ching v. Case (2019), the Hawai'i Supreme Court found
the State breached its trust obligations by neglecting cleanup and oversight responsibilities at Pohakuloa. We
cannot continue to allow this blatant destruction and indifference to our home.
Even the military's recent environmental review was rejected by the Board of Land and Natural Resources in
May. The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), omitted critical cultural and environmental
assessments, failed to properly evaluate groundwater contamination, and ignored the constitutional duty to
protect the rights of Kanaka Maoli.
To this day, no comprehensive archaeological inventory survey or Ka Pa'akai analysis has been completed,
despite clear legal requirements.
The Hawai'i State Constitution is not ambiguous: these public trust lands must be preserved for the benefit of
Kanaka Maoli and the broader public —not leased out for military training that reaches annihilation even further
than our homelands. Article XI I, Section 7 further mandates the protection of Kanaka Maoli cultural and
religious practices. Continuing live -fire exercises in direct violation of these protections is unacceptable.
Before any talk of lease renewal or land swaps, the military must first finance and carry out a full cleanup,
restoration, and bioremediation of the lands it has devastated. The burden of healing this 'aina should not fall
on the people, it must fall on those who have caused the harm.
Passing Resolution 234-25 is a step toward accountability. It shows that Hawaii County stands with its
people—Kanaka Maoli families, cultural practitioners, and environmental protectors —who ha4ona I
attention to the short and long-term damage caused by PTA. Comm.
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It sends a clear message that Hawai'i County will no longer allow the military to make unilateral decisions
that compromise our health, our culture, and our future —without transparency, cleanup commitments, and full
compliance with public trust obligations.
Future generations will be affected by the decisions you make today.
Malia Kainoa
Descendant of Hawai'i
In lokahi,
Malia Kainoa
she/they/wahine
® Turtle Island —Living on the unceded territories of the Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho Peoples
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