HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-05-2022 KPFA Letter of Support to Revised Conditions by Applicant 4+ 1
�It Association
P.O. Box 6844
I
Hilo, 96720
Sent via email to WPCtestimony(a,hawaiicounty.gov
July 7, 2022
RE: TESTIMONY OF MAILE LU`UWAI
PRESIDENT, KEAUKAHA PANA`EWA FARMERS ASSOCATION
AGENDA ITEM #4 YAMADA&SONS, INC. (PL-SPP-2022-000012)
COUNTY OF HAWAII WINDWARD PLANNING COMMISSION
MEETING DATE: JULY 7, 2022
Aloha Windward Planning Commission Members:
The Special Use Application Project Site is located adjacent to our community. Our community
has serious concerns regarding the Project. To address these concerns, The Keaukaha Pana`ewa
Farmers Association(KPFA)met with the applicant and Department of Hawaiian Home Lands
(DHHL). As a result, we have agreed upon the conditions provided in "Exhibit A" of the
Yamada & Sons testimony, dated June 27, 2022.
KPFA is a Hawaiian Homes Commission Act(HCCA) Beneficiary Association controlled
by native Hawaiian beneficiaries (as defined by the Hawaiian Home Lands Recovery Act,
109 § 537) and is registered with the U.S. Department of Interior, 43 CFR §§ 47.10 and
48.6.
KPFA is also recognized by the Department Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) as the
representative entity for 285 native Hawaiian beneficiaries and their `ohana across 1,615
agricultural acres in Pana`ewa.
We hope to `awaken' the commission that environmental injustice exists right here in Hilo
and that the distribution of a large variety of environmental hazards directly impacts our
Native Hawaiian community.
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From Pana'ewa to Keaukaha, our Native Hawaiian community has been subjected to a
consistent pattern by the state, county and private industry locating hazardous, industrial
and noise generating activities within and adjacent to our communities.
Many of Hilo's industrial facilities are located within and adjacent to our community,
including the airport, closed landfill and raceway park. Railroad Avenue runs through the
middle of our community and is used as a secondary access road for the speeding cars and
heavy weekday traffic from Pahoa.
Many of our community members remember when their families were forcibly removed
from their homes after DHHL gave the State the land under their homes to build the
airport. It is that part of Hilo's history that has been quietly swept under the political and
racial rug.
KPFA will scrutinize and challenge any activity that negatively impacts not only the
health, safety and welfare of our community members, but the value of the homes we have
built and raised our children in.
We appreciate the applicant taking the time to meet with KPFA community members to
address our concerns.
Mahalo,
Maile Lu`uwai
President
Keaukaha Pana`ewa Farmers Association
maile(a,luuwailaw.com
808.280.0083
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