HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0377.668 2024-2026From: Jimmy Trasport
Sent: Monday, September 1, 2025 9:21 PM
To: Council Testimony U
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Subject: Testimony in Strong Support of Resolution 234-25 (9/3/25 Council Agend`e_�',
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Subject: Testimony in Strong Support of Resolution 234-25
Aloha Council Members, N
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Please accept my written testimony offered in strong support of Resolution 234-25, which urges the
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to ensure the health and safety of Hawaii Island residents by requesting that the military cease all
bombing and desecration activities at Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA), reject land swaps and lease
renewals without strict stipulations, and conduct a full Ka Pa'akai Analysis of the area.
Sustained bombing and training activities have damaged pristine lands, the Saddle Region aquifer
system, and cultural sites for over 60 years, and the resolution aligns with long-standing community
concerns that military activity continues to pose real threats to public health, cultural integrity, and
environmental stability. In May 2025, the state's Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) did not
accept PTA's Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), citing incomplete archaeological inventory,
lack of endangered species data and analyses, and an inadequate Cultural Impact Assessment, which is
used to address Ka Pa'akai factors. The resolution aims to establish limits, demand accountability, and
ensure oversight and respect by urging the cessation of unwarranted bombing and live -fire training and
the cleanup of PTA as required by the military's lease.
Approving Resolution 234-25 sends a powerful message that Hawaii Countystands 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, cleanup commitments, and legal compliance with public trust obligations.
Respectfully,
Jimmy Trasport
Green Party of Hawai'i
Honoka'a, HI 96727
Comm.
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