Dozens of pieces of testimony poured in at a Hawaiʻi County Council meeting Tuesday against the Army’s continued activity at the Pōhakuloa Training Area.
The council is moving a resolution that would urge the state to ask the Army to stop its bombing and live-fire training at the 200-square-mile site.
“ For over 60 years, the U.S. military has occupied and bombed sacred Hawaiian lands at Pōhakuloa, contaminating our aquifer, destroying native ecosystems and desecrating cultural sites,” testifier Ronnie Inagaki said.
“The Army's activities have caused wildfires that have burned nearly 20,000 acres and left behind contamination, including depleted uranium that puts our health and water at risk. Pōhakuloa sits atop an aquifer that supplies fresh water to our communities, and the military's record shows it cannot be trusted to protect this vital resource.”
The Army’s lease at PTA ends in 2029, and it is in the process of renewing that lease. But it hit a roadblock in May after the state Board of Land and Natural Resources rejected its environmental review detailing the impacts its training would have on environmental and cultural resources.
Avalon Paradea, who lives in Waikoloa and had worked in the PTA Cultural Resources Program, described in a testimony some of the damage the Army has done so far.
“Training-induced wildfires, pollution and misconduct are far too commonly accepted as the norm at Pōhakuloa. My team observed rubbish across every landscape we surveyed,” Paradea said.
Waikoloa is also downwind from Pōhakuloa, which reportedly has been an issue for residents there.
“The amount of airborne dirt generated from the lack of vegetation at Pōhakuloa reaches the residents of our small town daily. I'm concerned that such dirt contains contaminants. My mother and I both suffer from mysterious illnesses which have negatively impacted our lives,” Paradea said.
Some are also concerned about conversations between Gov. Josh Green and the military to fast-track a deal that would let the Army continue to train at PTA. Some worry that those discussions undermine public sentiment and even decisions by state entities that have concerns with the military’s continued use of the area.
The military has said that Pōhakuloa is important for maintaining U.S. national security in the Pacific region.
The Army has offered to return about 3,300 acres of Pōhakuloa land to the state to facilitate a renewed lease. It paid $1 in its original lease to use the area.
The county resolution would also urge the state to reject a lease renewal or any potential land swaps with the Army unless a deal includes stipulations for “comprehensive cleanup, restoration, and bioremediation” at PTA. It also calls for an assessment of the training area to protect cultural resources at PTA.
