(BIVN) – The Hawaiʻi County Council is considering taking an official position against the continued use of state lands at the Pōhakuloa Training Area by the U.S. military.
Council Resolution 234-25 “urges the State of Hawai‘i to ensure the health and safety of Hawai‘i island residents by requesting the military to cease all bombing and desecration activities at the Pōhakuloa Training Area, rejecting land swaps and lease renewals with the military unless certain stipulations are established, and conducting a Ka Pa‘akai Analysis on the area.”
The U.S. Army is currently seeking to retain up to to approximately 22,750 acres of State-owned land at Pōhakuloa to support continued military training. While that effort continues, the military was dealt a blow by the Hawaiʻi Board of Land and Natural Resources when the BLNR voted to reject the Army’s Environmental Impact Statement, a major component of the land retention process.

Figure 1-2 from the EIS showing the U.S. Government-owned and State-owned land at Pōhakuloa Training Area
“They rejected this based on the inadequacy of the Environmental Impact Statement,” said Hawaiʻi County Councilmember Rebecca Villegas, who introduced the Council resolution.
“A lot of reasons people avoid this issue is because it is so heightened, and it is so controversial,” Villegas said.

image of Hawaiʻi County Councilmember Rebecca Villegas, from Hawaiʻi County Council livestream video
The resolution was heard during Tuesday’s meeting of the council’s Policy Committee on Environmental and Natural Resource Management in Kona. Members of the public testified both for and against the measure.
Speaking by videoconference from the Hilo council chambers, the president of the non-profit Malu ‘Aina Center For Non-violent Education & Action, Jim Albertini, told the council it needs to do more than urge the State to take action.
“Let’s be clear,” Albertini stated. “The military needs to stop bombing and shelling Pōhakuloa, clean up its unexploded ordnance and toxic mess created from 80 years of live fire, do a comprehensive Ka Paʻakai Analysis, and return the stolen land to the Hawaiian people.”
“The Hawaiʻi County Council passed Resolution 639-08 seventeen years ago,” Albertini noted, “which called for 8 actions by the military, including stopping all live fire and cleaning up its (depleted uranium) mess, none of which have been done.”
“Pōhakuloa is a vital part of Hawaiʻi island’s public safety and emergency response network,” testified Hawaiʻi Island Chamber Of Commerce president David Kurohara in opposition to the resolution. “In 2022 alone, PTA responded to over 121 emergency calls, most in the Saddle Road region.”
Kurohara also noted PTA “plays a strong economic role for Hawaiʻi island, employing approximately 230 local residents and contributing $74 million annually.”
The council agreed to postpone the resolution to the August 19th committee meeting, giving Villegas time to adjust the language and provide additional citations.
by Big Island Video News9:29 pm
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STORY SUMMARY
KONA, Hawaiʻi - The Hawaiʻi County Council is considering a measure urging state officials to request an end to "bombing and desecration activities" at PTA.