HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0377.612 2024-2026From: Uilani Naipo
Sent: Tuesday, September 2, 2025 9:32 AM
To: Council Testimony
Cc: Vilani Naipo; Kimball, Heather, Kagiwada, Jennifer, Onishi, Dennis; Kierkiewicz, Ashley;
Kanealii-Kleinfelder, Matt; Hustace, James; Galimba, Michelle M.; Villegas, Rgbecca;)
Inaba, Holeka ^, rD
Subject: Strong Support of Resolution 234-25 r c= a
Aloha Chair Inaba, Vice Chair Onishi and Council Members, c;
I am U'ilani Naipo and I am in strong support of Resolution 234-25, urging the State of Hawai'i to protect ;;C_
the the health and safety of Hawai'i Island residents and the sacred lands and species habitat of P6hakulo3�y
ceasing all live -fire exercises at Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA).
The Army has not been good stewards. For over six decades, the military has used these sacred
conservation lands at Pohakuloa—leased for just $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.
The courts have already confirmed that the 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.
In May, the Army's Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) was rejected by the Board of Land and
Natural Resources. 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. 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.
Before any discussion of lease renewal or land swaps, the military must commit to financing and complete a
comprehensive cleanup, restoration, and bioremediation plan to heal the lands it has degraded. Any
discussions of potential land disposition must complete be legally compliant to public trust obligations.
Please approve Resolution 234-25 and send a powerful message that Hawai'i 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. Hawai'i County can no longer accepts unilateral military
decisions that compromise our land, culture, and health.
U'ilani Naipo
Comm. tnn
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