The U.S. military has confirmed that it will permanently end live-fire training in Mākua Valley on Oʻahu, a major win for Native Hawaiian groups and environmentalists after decades of activism.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth filed a statement with federal court in Hawaiʻi on Friday affirming the military's new stance that it would "no longer need to conduct live-fire training at (Mākua Military Reservation), now or in the future," Hawaii News Now reported.
Under the terms of a 2001 settlement, the military hasn't conducted live-fire training at Mākua Valley since 2004. But the court filing "removed the threat that Mākua will ever again be subjected to live-fire training," environmental nonprofit Earthjustice said in a news release.
Earthjustice has represented local activist group Mālama Mākua in its long-running legal dispute with the Army.
Mākua Valley was the site of decades of live-fire military training. The training at times sparked wildfires that destroyed native forest habitat and sacred cultural sites, Earthjustice said.
The Mākua Military Reservation spans nearly 5,000 acres. It is home to more than 40 endangered and threatened species and dozens of sacred and cultural sites, according to Earthjustice.
The military seized Mākua Valley for training following the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, "evicting Hawaiians with the promise that their lands would be cleaned up and returned," said Mālama Mākua board member Sparky Rodrigues.
"Almost 80 years later, we're still waiting. Ending live-fire training is an important first step in undoing the wrongs of the past and restoring Mākua — which means 'parents' in Hawaiian."
Friday's court filing came 25 years after Mālama Mākua sued the Army to compel compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act. The law requires federal agencies to assess the environmental impacts of proposed federal actions.
In 2018, the Army agreed to restore access to cultural sites in the valley.
The state's lease to the Army for its use of Mākua Valley expires in 2029.
