HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0377.574 2024-2026From: Bliss Kinlaw
Sent: Saturday, August 30, 2025 12:29 AM
To: Council Testimony
Cc: Kimball, Heather, Kagiwada, Jennifer; Onishi, Dennis; Kierkiewicz, Ashley; l9peali -
Kleinfelder, Matt; Hustace, James; Galimba, Michelle M.; Villegas, Rebecca,-ab Z �
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Subject: Support of Resolution 234-25 r� --c�
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Aloha Chair Inaba, Vice Chair Onishi and councilmembers, :,> r�
My name is Sharee. I am malahini living in the illegally occupied Hawaiian kingdom standing in salidarity-:iih
kanaka Maoli, and I am testifying in strong support of this resolution urging the illegal State of Haw` N to protect
the health and safety of Hawai'i Island residents by ceasing all live -fire exercises at the sacred grounds of
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. Aolel No morel 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 fake State has failed to uphold its constitutional duty to monitor and
protect these lands. 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. These failures cannot continue.
Pack up. Clean up. Go home.
The Army's own environmental review was rejected by the Board of Land and Natural Resources in May.that
alone should speak to the hewa taking place here. 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.
There shall be no land swaps. The military must 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 Hawaii County understands its kulean and
stands with its people —families, communities, cultural practitioners, and environmental stewards who have
long raised concerns about PTA's short- and long-term impacts.
It signals that Hawai'i County will no longer accept unilateral military decisions that compromise the land,
culture, and health without meaningful engagement, cleanup commitments, and legal compliance with public
trust obligations.
Thank you for your time
-Sharee Kinlaw
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Ref. Date — 3 2025