HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0377.613 2024-2026From:
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rrmalia
Monday, September 1, 2025 11:57 PM
Council Testimony
Kimball, Heather, Kagiwada, Jennifer; Onishi, Dennis; Kierkiewicz, Ashley; Uneal cD
Kleinfelder, Matt; Hustace, James; Galimba, Michelle M.; Villegas, Rebecca jnab(z�--1
Holeka
Strong Support of Resolution 234-25
Aloha Chair Inaba, Vice Chair Onishi and council members,
My name is Malia Nakamura, I am testifying in strong support of this resolution urging the state of
Hawai'i to protect the health and safety of Hawai'i Island residents by ceasing all live -fire exercises at
Pohakuloa Traing 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. Despite their legal and cultural significance,
these lands have been bombed, burned, and contaminated. More than T,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 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.
The Army's own environmental review was rejected by the Board of Land and Natural Resources in
May. 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 XII, 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 first 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 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
our land, culture, and health without meaningful engagement, clean up commitments, and legal
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compliance with public trust obligations.
Malia Nakamura
South Koha/a, Hawaii