Latest news with #PohakuloaTrainingArea
The Independent
12-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Hawaii land board vote rejecting environmental study deals setback to Army combat training
Hawaii's land board rejected the Army's environmental impact statement to retain land on the Big Island used for live-fire training, a vote some Native Hawaiian leaders say reflects a growing distrust of the U.S. military in the islands. The state Board of Land and Natural Resources voted Friday after members considered voluminous written testimony and listened to hours of oral comments, including from many in the Native Hawaiian community citing environmental destruction and cultural desecration. The Army calls the Pohakuloa Training Area the 'premier' combat training grounds in the Pacific theater for all U.S. ground forces, including the Army, Marines, Navy and Air Force. Board Chair Dawn Chang later called the vote 'one of the hardest decisions that I have had to make.' Chang said the decision was based on the adequacy of the environmental review, and not about the merits of whether the Army should not conduct training in Hawaii. No decision has been made on the Army's longterm lease request. The Army's lease for 23,000 acres is set to expire in 2029. What happens next is up to the Army, Chang said. The Army, noting that the environmental impact statement was created with community input, said in a statement it was observing a 30-day waiting period. After that, the Army will determine how much land it will seek to retain. The vote was a 'pleasant surprise' to activists who are concerned that military training in Hawaii harms island aquifers, sensitive wildlife and ancient Hawaiian burials, said Healani Sonoda-Pale, a Native Hawaiian activist. It was unexpected because of the military's economic stronghold on Hawaii, she said. 'Friday's vote is a real shift,' Sonoda-Pale told The Associated Press Monday. 'I think the shift here happened because of the Red Hill spill. The military lost a lot of trust and respect." In 2021, jet fuel leaked into the Navy water system serving 93,000 people on and around the Pearl Harbor base. It sickened thousands in military housing and heightened concerns about leaks at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. The military eventually agreed to drain the tanks, amid state orders and protests from Native Hawaiians and other Hawaii residents worried about the threat posed to Honolulu's water supply. The tanks sit above an aquifer supplying water to 400,000 people in urban Honolulu. 'U.S. Army Hawai'i understands and deeply respects the concerns expressed by community members, cultural practitioners, and environmental advocates regarding the Army's presence and activities at Pōhakuloa Training Area,' Lt. Col. Tim Alvarado, U.S. Army Garrison Pōhakuloa commander, said in a statement. 'We recognize that past actions have caused harm and eroded trust, and we continue to seek a balance with consideration for the cultural and environmental significance of this land.' The U.S. Army is seeking to return nearly 3,300 acres of leased lands back to the state and retain 19,700 acres to sustain training, the Army statement said. Hawaii's congressional delegation issued a joint statement saying they 'believe there can be a path forward that accounts for the critical importance of Hawaii's role in our country's national security strategy and fundamentally respects and responds to the needs of the people of Hawaii.' In a statement, Gov. Josh Green acknowledged the rejected environmental impact statement presents challenges but doesn't end the conversation: "This is a time for collaboration, not division, as we seek balanced solutions that honor both our heritage and our future.'
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hawaii board rejects Army's EIS for renewed lease of Pohakuloa Training Area
The state Board of Land and Natural Resources voted Friday to reject the Army's Final Environmental Impact Statement on its proposal to renew its lease on state owned land on on Hawaii island that makes up its Pohakuloa Training Area. The vote came after a day of public testimony from residents across the islands, some who showed up in person and others who spoke over a Zoom teleconference. Those who testified overwhelmingly called on the BLNR to reject the EIS, citing wide-ranging concerns about lack gaps on environmental impacts, efforts to protect Native Hawaiian traditional burial sites and other issues they had with the document—as well as with the military use of the area as a whole. The board ultimately decided that, along with several other data gaps, warranted rejecting the EIS. In the board's motion, its members also called on the Army to submit additional updated information to the board. 'I've been on the board for a little over two years. This is probably the hardest decision that I know, that I've had to make, ' said BLNR chair Dawn Chang before the vote. 'You know, it's always hard to deal in our trying to find balance. Our mission is to preserve and protect cultural and natural resources, but also recognizing that we have other competing interests, including national defense.' The ruling is a setback for the Army, but does not end its efforts to retain training land after its leases expire in 2029. In a statement released Friday evening the Department of Land and Natural Resources said, 'An EIS is intended to support informed decision-making and does not, by itself, authorize any land use. No decision has been made on the Army's long-term lease request. A separate review and determination will be required should such a request be brought before the board in the future.' Situated between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, PTA is the military's largest contiguous live-fire range and maneuver training area in the islands. The state parcel of 22, 750 acres sits between two federally owned pieces of land, collectively making up 132, 000 acres. Army officials call the leased land 'the connective tissue ' of PTA. In recent years, PTA has become central to the Army's new Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center, a series of training ranges in Hawaii and Alaska aimed at preparing soldiers for operations in the Pacific amid tensions with China. Hawaii island resident Ana Kahoopii testified to the BLNR that she lives downind of PTA, saying that 'we lost our pastoral lots during the last wildfire that was started at PTA, so we can't keep cattle on our property anymore. The largest island aquifer also lies between PTA. It's unprotected. The desecration of very own cultural sites, preparation for war with China, isn't protecting us. It's actually making us a target of retaliation.' 'The land can't be restored and destroyed, ' said Alihilani Katoa, a member of thr group Hui Aloha Aina, who spoke of how native birds were being harmed. 'The EIS also notes that 38 bird species were observed, but only five native birds were detected on state lands. This is not proof of proactive management, as the Army claims, it's a warning. A warning that we are failing to preserve our native avifauna, many of which are culturally sacred and ecologically critical.' Many of the testimonies drew upon concerns raised by agencies under the state DNLR itself, which have been critical of previous drafts of the EIS and called them incomplete. Among concerns DLNR raised were that they considered much of the data in the EIS outdated—the most recent biological survey it cited was from 2013. The Army is working on new environmental surveys expected to be completed by the end of 2025. The Army, which obtained the parcel at PTA and other lands it uses for training for a mere $1 in 1964, and has faced increasing scrutiny of the effects of training on the environment and ancient Hawaiian cultural sites. The state now considers its parcel at Pohakuloa to be a conservation district and DLNR has said that military use of the land is 'not consistent ' with that designation. The Army has argued that the state's designation of the land as a conservation district did not apply to its operations, as the military already had the lease and had been training since before the designation, essentially grandfathering it in. But the final EIS seemingly concedes that under a new lease, that would not be the case. 'U.S. Army Hawai 'i understands and deeply respects the concerns expressed by community members, cultural practitioners, and environmental advocates regarding the Army's presence and activities at Pohakuloa Training Area, ' said Lt. Col. Tim Alvarado, the officer who oversees operations at PTA. 'We recognize that past actions have caused harm and eroded trust, and we continue to seek a balance with consideration for the cultural and environmental significance of this land.' A small handful of people testified in support of approving the EIS. Matthew Chalker, a Waikoloa Village resident and self-described wildfire safety advocate said that he believed the EIS was thorough and that and argued that firefighting facilities at PTA have been critical in protecting his community and training other firefighters across the state. Riley Smith, who represents Hawaii island on the BLNR, opposed the motion to reject the EIS and argued that he believed the Army had acted in good faith to provide the best data it could. BLNR at-large member Vernon Char, who abstained from the vote, said he believed the public testimony 'was very one-sided. It was very well planned and very emotional … many of the statements made today in opposition were very sincere, But some of it, I thought, was misdirected, and maybe not really relevant to the issue of whether the EIS should be accepted as having positioned everything, subject to negotiation.' In a statement Friday night, Gov. Josh Green said, 'I respect the Board's decision and the community voices that guide it. Military members who utilize this area to train for local and national security and emergency missions are our neighbors, our children's classmates, and often our own ʻohana. While the rejection of the Final EIS presents challenges, it is not the end of the conversation. We remain committed to finding new paths that protect Hawai 'i's natural and cultural resources while supporting national security. This is a time for collaboration, not division, as we seek balanced solutions that honor both our heritage and our future.' U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono, along with U.S. Reps. Ed Case and Jill Tokua released a joint statement, saying that 'from the beginning of this important process, we have encouraged the collaboration and dialogue that is required between our state, military, and community. While we acknowledge the Board of Land and Natural Resources' decision on this aspect of the issue, we believe there can be a path forward that accounts for the critical importance of Hawaii's role in our country's national security strategy and fundamentally respects and responds to the needs of the people of Hawaii. We will continue working with Governor Green, Department of Defense leadership, and community members to support and encourage continued dialogue as discussions continue toward a mutually acceptable result.'
