HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0377.659 2024-2026From: Jane W Taylor
Sent: Friday, August 29, 2025 10:21 AM
To: Council Testimony
Cc: Kimball, Heather; Kagiwada, Jennifer; Onishi, Dennis; Kierkiewicz, Ashley; Kanealii-
Kleinfelder, Matt; Galimba, Michelle M.; Villegas, Rebecca; Inaba, Holeka; H stacq�
James o0
Subject: Please continue your SUPPORT for Res. 234-25 c��
�z
Aloha Chair and Council Members, r7
I stand in full support of Resolution 234-25 to protectthe health, safety, and cultural integrity f Ha ia_pI
Island: This is a historic and important opportunity for our residents. `a =
We ask that you unanimously Vote in SUPPORT of Resolution 234-25 that will help end Pohakuloa live
fire and bombing practice, and further contamination and destruction of the landscape and soil/air
quality in the Pohakuloa TrainingArea, rejecting land swaps and lease renewals with the military unless
specific stipulations are established, with the U.S. Military adheringto our Hawai'i State Constitution and
motto through the Ka Pa'akai Analysis on the area.
For decades, Pohakuloa—a sacred and ecologically vital area —has been subjected to contamination
and destruction from military activity. These impacts extend far beyond the immediate training grounds.
What happens on our land directly affects our island's water quality and quantity. The pollutants and
toxins from bombing and live fire seep into the soil, travel into our aquifers, and threaten the clean water
that sustains our families, farms, and fisheries.
The Board of Land and Natural Resources recognized this danger when they denied the U.S. Army's Final
Environmental Impact Statement in May 2025—its second failure to meet the requirements of our laws.
The Army's recent, partial clean-up efforts are not acts of goodwill; they are strategic moves to secure
more land and reframe their public image. True stewardship means consistent respect for cultural sites
and environmental health —not compliance only when more land is at stake.
Pohakuloa is culturally sacred. It is also centrally located at high elevation and greatly impacts our
island's ecological health. We cannot allow further poisoning of our land, air, and water under the guise
of national defense. Protectingthis area is protecting our people, our culture, and our future.
I urge you to adopt Resolution 234-25 without delay.
Please review these articles:
The Cost of the U.S. Military in Hawaii:
htt p s:// h awa i if i rst. b to g/2025/08/27/th a-cost-of-hostin g-th a-u-s-m i tita ry-i n -h a wa i %CA%B Bi/
The Army is Not Our Neighbor:
https://ethanmckown.substack.com/p/the-army-is-not-our- Comm.
neigh bor?r=3bxyhg&triadRed i rect=true&utm_medium=ios Ref. To:
Ref. Date — 3
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CONCERN EXPRESSED BY THE GOVERNOR THAT THE MILITARY MIGHT JUST
TAKE THE WHOLE THING IF WE DON'T NEGOTIATE AWAY OUR RIGHTS, I THINK THE DANGER IS REAL
BUT WE HAVE NEVER HAD SUCH A CLEAR PATH BEFORE, AND THIS MATTERS HUGELY. WE NEED TO
GO ON THE RECORD AS NOT CAVING INTO THE BULLIES ANY FURTHER.
Mahalo,
Jane Taylor
South Kohala
Jane Taylor
artteachers@mac.com
808 756-5240