Category: Local Campaigns

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Protect Mauna Kea

Eyes of the He’e

side view of tmt complex

Courtesy TMT International Observatory

Mauna Kea, the sacred mountain of Wakea and Poliahu is again threatened by plans to construct a giant telescope there.  The so-called Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) would be the largest telescope in the world and a desecration to one of the most sacred temples in Hawai’i and across the Pacific.

Aerospace and astronomy programs have had a long and incestuous relationship with the military.   On Haleakala there is a prototype of the Air Force PanSTARRS telescope and the Maui optical tracking station for missile defense testing.  The larger full-size PanSTARRS is being proposed for Mauna Kea.  The TMT project is ostensibly a civilian venture, but it is part of the aerospace-military complex that has taken over the peaks of many of our mountains in Hawai’i, from Makaha ridge and Koke’e on Kaua’i, to Ka’ena, Ka’ala and Palehua on O’ahu to Haleakala on Maui and Mauna Kea on Hawai’i.  These are the giant eyes of the monstrous military he’e (octopus) in Hawai’i.

There will be a critical hearing of the Board of Land and Natural Resources on Friday, 2/25 at 9:00 am at the Kalanimoku Building, 1151 Punchbowl St. to decide if the University of Hawai’i will be granted a permit to build in conservation district. See the action alert from Kahea below.  You can submit testimony online from their website: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2699/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=5861

If you can attend the hearing on Friday, please turn out to express your opposition to this desecration of a sacred mountain.  Holding the hearing on O’ahu is a way to exclude the Hawai’i island community that has been most organized against this project.

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No More Bulldozers on Mauna Kea

The construction permit for the massive Thirty Meter Telescope complex will be considered by the Board of Land and Natural Resources on Friday, February 25, 2011.

The TMT Corporation and the University of Hawai‘i Board of Regents are proposing to build a new massive, 18-story telescope, 21,000 square foot office building, road, and parking lot on undeveloped land on Mauna Kea’s summit, called the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT).

Mauna Kea is unique in the world, a place of deep significance in the Hawaiian worldview, and home to rare Hawaiian plants and animals found nowhere else on the planet. Mauna Kea was honored among the sacred places of the world in a National Geographic (January 2011) Special Edition titled, “The Earth’s Holiest Places: Sacred Journeys.”

 

The TMT needs a construction permit approved by the Hawai‘i Board of Land and Natural Resources (Land Board) before any bulldozers can be sent up the mountain.

We think there is a real chance this permit could be denied, but we also know there is a lot of pressure from developers to approve it. This  is the last major permit developers need to begin construction on this 18-story, 8-acre development.

Join hundreds of people from around the islands! Urge the Land Board Members to reject this permit application, and take true, strong steps to protect the future of Mauna Kea. Submit your testimony today!  Your voice matters, especially when it is in your own words — if can, please take a minute to write a few sentences to make your testimony unique and the more effective.  Thanks!

Background

What’s Going On?

The University of Hawai‘i Board of Regents and the TMT Corporation are proposing to build a new massive,18-story telescope, 21,000 square foot office building, road, and parking lot–called the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT)–on undeveloped conservation and “ceded” lands on Mauna Kea.

This telescope is the largest ever proposed for Mauna Kea, and, if built, would be the second largest in the world.

Mauna Kea is unique on earth, a place of deep significance in the Hawaiian worldview, and home to rare Hawaiian plants and animals found nowhere else on the planet. Mauna Kea was honored among the sacred places of the world in a National Geographic (January 2011) Special Edition titled, “The Earth’s Holiest Places: Sacred Journeys.”

Mauna Kea is wao akua, wahi pana and dwelling of Wakea. Mauna Kea is also “ceded” crown lands, and conservation lands protected in the Conservation District.

Wrong for the Mountain

It is clear that the law doesn’t allow for this level of industrial development on conservation lands, like Mauna Kea. Hawaii Administrative Rules (13-5-30(c)) outlines criteria that must be met before construction can be allowed on conservation lands in Hawaii.

The most telling for us are the middle three criteria, which state:

“4. The proposed land use will not cause substantial adverse impact to existing natural resources within the surrounding area, community, or region;

5. The proposed land use, including buildings, structures and facilities, shall be compatible with the locality and surrounding areas, appropriate to the physical conditions and capabilities of the specific parcel or parcels; [and]

6. The existing physical and environmental aspects of the land, such as natural beauty and open space characteristics, will be preserved or improved upon, whichever is applicable;”

The TMT can’t satisfy these criteria.  This development (18 stories, 8 acre construction footprint) would multiply industrial land use on Mauna Kea, forever altering the natural beauty and sacred vista of the northern plateau.

Construction will impact fragile habitats of native plants and animals found only on Mauna Kea, with no guarantee of restoration when the lease term ends, in a mere 21 years.

How big is it?

– 184 ft. tall (18 stories), plus 20 ft. below ground
– Construction footprint: over 8 acres disturbed
– Completed structure footprint: over 5 acres
– Average American football field is 1.32 acres
– Telescope: 34,000 sq. ft.
– Support and office building: 21,000 sq. ft.
– Will excavate 64,000 cubic yards of summit area
– Will add 3,400 ft of new road, using excavated dirt to level it

What impact will it have?

– Construction proposed for the northern plateau, some of the last undeveloped area on the summit
– Structure will interrupt viewplane to Haleakala
– Will be visible from 14% of the island, including Waimea Park, Puu Kapu & Waawaa, Honokaa, & Puukohala
– Current telescopes are visible from 43% of the island
– Telescope operations will create 74 dbA of noise
– Will produce 120-250 cubic feet of solid waste a week
– Will use 5,000 gallon underground tank to store waste, including hazardous chemicals

The Final EIS for the project admits that telescope construction has had a substantial adverse impact on the natural and cultural resources of the conservation district on the summit.  Here is a link to the developers’ description of the TMT: www.tmt.org.

Of course, the University Board of Regents sees the proposal as a done deal.  The developers of this project have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in a massive PR campaign, assuring us that TMT will have little impact on the summit and that past problems with resource management have been fixed.  But we know that this is not so.

Forty Years of Mismanagement

Forty years ago, the people of Hawaii agreed to share our highest and most sacred summit with a small community of UH astronomers–on the promise of protection and stewardship for fragile alpine habitats, endemic native species, and sacred cultural landscapes. Sadly, the promise to malama (care for) our sacred summit remains unfulfilled.

Today, the University of Hawaii Board of Regents, several foreign governments, the U.S. federal government and military, and various development corporations have built or proposed to expand the footprint of industrial land use in the Mauna Kea conservation district.

The footprint of roads, buildings, parking, and ever-larger telescope complexes has grown and prospered, while natural and cultural resources have been irreplaceably lost, desecrated and destroyed. Today, even more development is proposed.

Mauna Kea is:

– Wao Akua, dwelling of Wakea

– Home of Poliahu and her sisters

– Used by cultural practitioners today

– Conservation district lands

– Above the main aquifer for the island

– “Ceded” crown lands

– Home to endemic native plants and animals,many found nowhere else on the planet

“For it is here that the very life breath can be seized in a moment never to return. It is only here that the life-giving waters originate. Only here do the heavens open so that man can be received, blessed, freed and transformed in the ways of Heaven.”

– from “Mauna Kea — The Temple”, Royal Order of Kamehameha I, Heiau Helu Elua, and Mauna Kea `Anainahou

Better Solutions Proposed, A Better Future Possible

We are asking for simple, common sense solutions for Mauna Kea, including: independent management (where developers do not approve their own projects), appropriate limits on development footprint based on study of summit carrying capacity, and appropriate compensation to the people of Hawai`i for past development.

Learn more

View, download and share the fact sheet on the Thirty Meter Telescope at http://bit.ly/TMTfactsheet or view and share it on Scribd.

See the Action Alert on KAHEA’s Blog

Learn more about Mauna Kea and efforts to protect conservation lands on Hawai`i’s sacred summits from industrial development and military land use.

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Generals clash on cause of April Osprey crash

Coming soon to Mokapu and Pohakuloa? Speak out against the Osprey invasion.   We need a predator fence against these invaders.

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http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/01/air-force-generals-clash-on-osprey-crash-012211w/

Generals clash on cause of April Osprey crash

By Bruce Rolfsen – Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Jan 22, 2011 10:12:48 EST

In a rare public display of disunity, two generals are at serious odds over the cause of a fatal aircraft accident.

The April 9 crash in Afghanistan was the first loss of a CV-22 Osprey in combat. Two of the three cockpit crew members — pilot Maj. Randell Voas, 43, and flight engineer Senior Master Sgt. James Lackey, 45 — died attempting a night landing at a desert landing zone. The co-pilot survived; he has not been indentified. Also killed were a soldier and a contractor — two of 16 passengers in the cargo compartment.

Brig. Gen. Donald Harvel, president of the accident investigation board, said he believes engine problems brought down the special operations Osprey on its landing approach. Lt. Gen. Kurt Cichowski, to whom Harvel answered during the investigation, argues aircrew errors caused the crash.

Harvel cited engine problems in his report; Cichowski wrote a dissent that he released with the report Dec. 15.

READ FULL ARTICLE

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Army clarifies its helicopter training operations for Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa

The Army must have been worried by the strong outcry against its proposed helicopter training on Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.  They issued the following press release to “clarify” its plans.  Regardless of how the Army spins their intent, the public is clear that the HAMET is an expansion of military activity into a conservation area and a sacred site.   While the Army plans do not seek to acquire additional land, it proposes to use public lands and airspace to conduct these new helicopter training in high altitude locations on Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.   With 133,000 acres of Hawaiian land already occupied by the military at Pohakuloa, the community will not tolerate any further expansion.

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http://www.hawaii247.com/2011/02/02/army-clarifies-its-helicopter-training-operations-for-mauna-kea-and-mauna-loa/

Army clarifies its helicopter training operations for Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa

Posted on 10:13 am, Wednesday, February 2, 2011. 

MEDIA RELEASE

WHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD, Hawaii – The U.S. Army‟s 25th Infantry Division Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB) and U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii are reviewing the aviation training plan in response to comments, received from the Big Island community, on the proposed use of several landing zones on the slopes of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.

Issues arose this past week after several stories ran in island newspapers questioning what was perceived to be the Army‟s new requirement for land expansion and possible restrictions to the residents and visitors around Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.

Public input was received during the 30-day comment period that is as part of the environmental assessment process in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969.

“The Army has no additional land expansion requirements and will impose no restrictions on anyone as a result of this revised environmental assessment,” said COL Frank W. Tate, commander of the 25th CAB. “The only land that will be impacted by the proposed Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa alternatives from this life-saving training is the pre-existing, 150 foot by 150 foot landing zones that we used from 2004 to 2007.”

The Army is taking full responsibility for what‟s being called “miscommunication” and looks forward to clearing up any confusion that it may have caused. The concern stems from specific graphics found in the environmental assessment showing large areas of the map depicting possible flight paths but labeled “project area” on the map‟s legend.

This caused significant concern of some Big Island residents, assuming the Army training would require more land.

“The graphics were not clear in what they portrayed,” said Tate. “They designate airspace, not land use, and they were designed to show that by utilizing those routes, we mitigate noise and any impact to the environment or the people on the Big Island.”

“The Aviation Brigade needs to utilize the small areas that the landing zones are on, nothing more,” said Col. Michael D. Lundy, deputy commander, 25th Infantry Division, referring to the previously mentioned 150 square foot landing zones. “We have a great partnership with the people of Hawaii and the last thing we want is to restrict them or disrupt their daily lives with our training.”

The aviation training in question is High Altitude Mountainous Environmental Training (HAMET). As part of the proposed action one of the alternatives requires that the CAB will use the same three landing zones on Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa it used to train for a previous deployment to Afghanistan in 2004. The landing zones provide a realistic, rugged landscape that will match the altitudes, environmental conditions such as turbulence and wind shear that the 25th CAB pilots will face during an upcoming deployment to Afghanistan. The CAB‟s pilots will have to operate in these demanding conditions while transporting life-saving equipment and troops to the frontlines of the Global War on Terror.

Another concern raised in reaction to the proposed assessment was the massive number of helicopters that would be filling the skies over the mountains. 25th Infantry Division Officials say that‟s simply not the case. “The original document poorly portrayed what the division wanted to do, and that‟s our fault,” said Maj. Dave Eastburn, a spokesperson for the 25th Infantry Division.

“The fact is, during this training, you‟ll only see two to four helicopters in the air at any given time. Additionally, the entire Brigade can be trained over the course of three, 15 day exercises, not including holidays or weekends as to not disrupt residents or visitors to the island,” Eastburn continued.

“The Army is committed to open decision-making to build the necessary community trust that sustains the Army in the long term and the NEPA process helps to facilitate that,” said William Rogers, U.S. Army Garrison NEPA program coordinator. “We advertised the proposed action in the local news papers and mailed the documents to the local libraries and agencies for review and comment.”

“The feedback was tremendous and we are currently considering all comments received. We are in the early stage of our review process and will keep the public informed”.

The commander of the Aviation Brigade is optimistic that the changes they are implementing now will allow training to be conducted in a manner that satisfies all interested parties. “I look forward to making this training a reality once again because the bottom line is: this training will save lives,” said Tate.

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Hawai’i Island Appeal for Solidarity

Activists from Hawai’i island issued an appeal for solidarity in the face of a massive military expansion planned for Pohakuloa.   Please send solidarity statements to ja@interpac.net. Mahalo!

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For Public Release concerning U.S. military training at Pohakuloa
See list of individual signers below

Further contact: Jim Albertini 966-7622
Contact: Malu `Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action P.O. Box AB Kurtistown, Hawai`i 96760.
Phone (808) 966-7622.  Email ja@interpac.net http://www.malu-aina.org

Appeal for Solidarity!

We (the undersigned) appeal to all Hawaii peace, justice, environment, and independence activists, to the general public, and to local and state government officials.  We ask that you stand in solidarity with us on Moku O Keawe in resistance to major U.S. military expansion at the 133,000-acre Pohakuloa Training Area, and now even helicopter assault training for Afghanistan on our sacred mountains –Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.

We congratulate the Malama Makua community organization for its victory in stopping all military live fire in Makua Valley on Oahu.  But Makua is still held hostage by the military and used to train for ongoing U.S. wars of aggression.

We are opposed to pushing U.S. desecration and contamination from one site to another.  We want an end to U.S. occupation in Hawaii and the restoration of the Hawaii nation.  We want the U.S. to stop bombing Hawaii and clean up its opala.  We want to put an end to U.S. desecration and contamination of all sacred cultural sites.  We do not want the U.S. training anywhere to do to others what the U.S. has already done to Hawaii: overthrow and occupy its government and nation, desecrate its sacred sites, and contaminate its air, land, water, people, plants, and animals with military toxins.

Restore the Hawaii Nation!

End U.S. Terrorism!
Military Clean-Up NOT Build Up!
Stop all the Wars!  End all Occupations!

Signers
Isaac Harp, Kelii “Skippy” Ioane, Hanalei Fergerstrom,
Kihei Soli Niheu, Ali`i Sir Kaliko Kanaele, Calvin Kaleiwahea,
Lloyd Buell, Danny Li, Stephen Paulmier, Ronald Fujiyoshi,
Moanikeala Akaka, Tomas Belsky,
Samuel Kaleleiki, Jim Albertini

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Public pans Army plan

As West Hawaii Today reports, Moku o Keawe (Hawai’i island) turned out to oppose a proposed plan to expand and renovate Army training sites at Pohakuloa.  The Army seeks to move live fire training from Makua to Pohakuloa rather than reduce the overall impacts in the islands.   On Wednesday, the Army announced that it would end live fire training in Makua and instead conduct counterinsurgency training there while moving the live fire training elements to Pohakuloa.

The Army is proposing to do a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for its expansion plans in Pohakuloa.    The PEIS is a broad environmental impact review that considers impacts in the most general and superficial way.  It is usually accompanied by subsequent Environmental Assessments (EA) for the individual components of the project.  However, EAs are far less substantial in their investigations than normal Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) and are not subject to the same requirements for public participation in the environmental review and decision making process.  This use of PEIS coupled with EA is a common trick of federal agencies to avoid serious public scrutiny of its actions.  We should strongly oppose this approach and demand that each individual project have its own environmental impact statement with full public participation.

Comments must be received by Feb. 7. Comments may be mailed to PTA PEIS, P.O. Box 514, Honolulu, HI 96809, faxed to (808) 545-6808, e-mailed to PTAPEIS@bah.com.

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http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/articles/2011/01/14/local_news/local05.txt

Public pans Army plan

by Erin Miller
Stephens Media
Published: Friday, January 14, 2011 7:38 AM HST

Modernizing PTA runs counter to sentiments at meeting

Will the Army and the federal government listen to island residents this time?

That’s the question Isaac Harp posed during a public meeting this week at Waimea Elementary School. Army officials were taking comments Wednesday evening on a plan to modernize Pohakuloa Training Area.

“What percentage of people need to oppose your project before you stop?” Harp asked. “The public doesn’t want it. The people’s voice needs to be important here. They’re robbing us of our enjoyment of life. I’m tired of coming to these meetings and talking and wasting my time. It doesn’t change anything. It’s just to make the people feel they’re being included.”

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

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Hawaii key in U.S. plans for Pacific region

As the Honolulu Star Advertiser reports, despite the Pentagon’s announced budget cuts of $78 billion, the message from the 10th annual Hawaii military partnership conference is that “Hawaii is of extreme strategic importance” to the United States because of our location in the critically important Asia Pacific region and because of the rising economic and military power of China, which the U.S. hopes to contain.

The military-business love fest was sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, the same organization that conspired with U.S. elites in the 19th century to obtain a Treaty of Reciprocity, which allowed the U.S. to use Ke Awalau o Pu’uloa (aka Pearl Harbor) in exchange for dropping tariffs on Hawaiian sugar imports to the U.S.  The Treaty of Reciprocity was opposed by many Hawaiian citizens because it was rightfully seen as an erosion of Hawaiian sovereignty and a threat to one of the richest food resources for the island of O’ahu.   This treaty, which could be considered a precursor to modern neoliberal trade agreements, was a key  event in the U.S. takeover of Hawai’i.   Today, Hawai’i is still hostage to the economic and military interests that engineered the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom and the U.S. occupation of the islands.  The Hawai’i military partnership conference and upcoming APEC summit in Honolulu only confirms this fact.

According to the Star Advertiser article, the U.S. military population in Hawai’i is approximately 110,000 (50,000 active-duty military members and 60,000 dependents), which is around 8.5 percent of the total population of Hawai’i. Large scale military-driven population transfer of Americans to Hawai’i have had major negative social and cultural impacts on Kanaka Maoli, not the least of which is the loss of self-determination.  The international community understands that the influx of settlers to an occupied territory, such as Palestine, Tibet and East Timor, constitute serious human rights problems. However the influx of American settlers in Hawai’i or Guam have not gotten the same attention.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary said “There’s no question in my mind that the importance of this region, the Asia-Pacific region and in particular Hawaii, and the vital role it will play in the future is not going to diminish.”  This means that the threat of militarization will continue or worsen for places like Korea, Okinawa, Guam and Hawai’i.  Peace and justice movements in this region will have to grow our movements and strengthen our networks within the region and with allies in the U.S.   We need to call on peace and justice movements within the U.S. to understand developments in the Asia Pacific region, and especially the importance small island bases in the expansion and maintenance of U.S. empire, and to step up their own efforts to dismantle the oppressive “empire of bases” (to borrow a phrase from the late Chalmers Johnson). Now that fiscal realities are finally forcing some in Washington to consider the taboo subject of cutting the military budget, the U.S. peace and justice movements have an opportunity to advocate for the reduction of the military troops and bases around the world.

The article also reports:

Lt. Gen. Benjamin “Randy” Mixon, head of the U.S. Army in the Pacific and headquartered at Fort Shafter, said the Army is looking at shifting Makua Valley away from its past use as an intensive live-fire training facility and bringing in “more relevant” training focused on roadside bomb detection.

Due to a lawsuit, there has been no live-fire training in Makua Valley since 2004.

Another focus would be unmanned aerial vehicle training using Makua, which has unrestricted airspace, Mixon said. In conjunction with those changes, the Army is planning to move some live-fire training to new facilities it would build at Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island.

So the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement being prepared for construction at Pohakuloa is related to the shifting of training activities from Makua to Pohakuloa.

The language coming out of these kinds of conferences also reveals a lot about how the military and businesses view Hawai’i.   Hawai’i is used to serve certain interests.  Our lands, seas and skies are used.  Our people are used.  The entire Pacific ocean is used.  It reveals the arrogance of empire.  Empire never asks permission of the people in its far flung possessions.  It imposes, announces, decides.

Adm. Robert F. Willard, commander in chief of the Pacific Command said that the Pentagon is focusing its attention on the Asia Pacific Region.  Willard said. “We’ll be discussing Pacific Command’s vision for a future posture that is an improved posture in the region — not a lessening posture by any means, but rather a reorienting of some of our forces.”   “Improved posture”?   As in stop slouching?  Interesting language.  It sounds like a bit of spin on possible budget cuts.  We’ll see.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

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Colonel Ann Wright to speak about recent peace delegations to Afghanistan and Gaza

Download flyer here

Witness: Afghanistan and Gaza

Col. (Ret.) Ann Wright

Ann Wright will report back on her recent trip to Afghanistan and the 2nd Gaza Freedom Flotilla.

Just back from Kabul to Honolulu on December 31st, 2010, Ann will describe the conditions in Afghanistan and the exciting peace activism.  Ann worked with Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers who organized ‘Dear Afghanistan’ a world-wide call-in conversation with Afghan youth. Veterans For Peace President Mike Ferner wrote an article on Common Dreams:

The effort consisted of an entire day of Skyped-in phone calls, emails, Facebook and Twitter posts, with the goals of providing an opportunity for world citizens to learn about Afghanistan first-hand from experts – people trying to live their lives in a war zone; provide moral support for the members of Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers (AYPV); and begin linking conversations among a global, below-the-radar network of veteran peace activists, determined that the war in this country can and must be ended absent military force.

Ann will also speak about the second Gaza Freedom Flotilla.  Last year, Ann was aboard one of the ships in the Gaza Freedom Flotilla that was attacked by Israeli commandos, killing nine people.

January 10, 2011

Honolulu Friends Meeting House,
2426 O‘ahu Avenue

6:30 pm

FREE, Sponsored by AFSC Hawai‘i Peace & Justice
More info: 808-988-6266 or kkajihiro@afsc.org

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Army helicopter training enroaching on Mauna Kea

As reported previously on this site, the Army proposes to conduct High Altitude Mountainous Environmental Training (HAMET) on the slopes of Mauna Kea.    This training would take place outside of the training areas currently under Army control.   The Army has just posted the Environmental Assessment (EA), Appendices and Draft Fining of No Significant Impact on its website.

The EA confirms that  the Army has conducted this type of aviation training on Mauna Kea in 2003, 2004 and 2006.  Why did the Department of Land and Natural Resources approve the training without any public comment or notification? Here is a disturbing revelation on page 2-6 of the EA:

In November (2003), while performing high-altitude training on the slopes of Mauna Kea, a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter landed about 3.5 miles (6 kilometers) east of the designated LZs within the Mauna Kea Ice Age Natural Area Reserve (NAR) within the boundaries of the Mauna Kea Adze Quarry. Subsequent to the incident, the Army was requested to implement additional mitigations to avoid future-related impacts during the training period (Young 2003).

What are they training for?  To fly in the high altitude environment of Afghanistan.  Empire is a constant state of war.  Tell the Army what you think about this training:

Comments are due January 24, 2011. They can be emailed to: William.Rogers5@us.army.mil, or mailed to: Directorate of Public Works, Environmental Division (IMPC-HI-PWE), Attn: Mr. William Rogers, 947 Wright Avenue, Wheeler Army Airfield, Schofield Barracks, 96857-5013.

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Army wants more helicopter training on Mauna Kea after violating Mauna Kea Ice Age Reserve

In addition to plans to expand Army training facilities in the Pohakuloa Training Area, the Army recently issued a notice of a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for impelementation of High Altitude Mountainous Environmental Training (HAMET) on the slopes of the sacred mountain, Mauna Kea.

According to Marti Townsend of KAHEA, the area that the Army is proposing to use is state land (ceded lands) set aside as a forest reserve for the birds.

In the past, the Army has been granted a “right of entry” permit to use the forest reserve for “touch-n-go” type helicopter exercises and also overnight “set up camp in a hurry” type trainings. The permit is issued by the Division Of Forestry And Wildlife Head, Paul Conroy, meaning that it does not come before the Board of Land and Natural Resources in a public hearing. The public was not notified of the previous right of entry permits issued to the Army.

However, we have learned that an Army helicopter landed in the Mauna Kea Ice Age Natural Areas Reserve during a training exercise in violation of the permit. This prompted the state to require the Army to complete an Environmental Assessment pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Below is the excerpt from The Environmental Notice published on Dec. 23rd. Deadline for comments to the Army is January 24, 2011.

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High Altitude Mountainous Environmental Training, Pōhakuloa Training Area, Island of Hawai‘i

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, an Environmental Assessment (EA) and draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FNSI) have been prepared for the implementation of proposed High Altitude Mountainous Environmental Training (HAMET) at Pōhakuloa Training Area (PTA), Island of Hawai‘i. The purpose of the proposed action is to provide helicopter aviators/crews high-altitude training flight operations, while recognizing Army stewardship responsibilities within the affected region. The need for the proposed action is to provide realistic training to ready helicopter aviators/crews to be successful in the combat theater to support the operational and mission requirements of the 25th CAB, 25th Infantry Division, set forth by the Department of Army and Department of Defense (DoD) for deployment in support of combat operations in Afghanistan and future related theater actions. Activities for helicopter aviator/crew proficiency training include but are not limited to: Touch and go, limited landings, approach and departure, reconnaissance, abort and go around, and nighttime operations in designated areas. Based on the information analyzed, the EA concludes that the proposed action would not result in any significant direct, indirect, or cumulative adverse impacts on the natural or human environment. The EA and draft FNSI are available for public review at the following public libraries: Hilo Public Library, Kailua-Kona Public Library, and Thelma Parker Memorial Public and School Library. Copies can also be obtained by contacting NEPA Program Manager at (808) 656-3075 or William.Rogers5@us.army.mil. Written comments will be received and considered up to 30 days from the publication of this notice, and should be directed to the email address above, or mailed to: Directorate of Public Works, Environmental Division (IMPC-HI-PWE), Attn: Mr. William Rogers, 947 Wright Avenue, Wheeler Army Airfield, Schofield Barracks, 96857-5013.

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Use of former prison draws group’s protest

Source: http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/20101009_use_of_former_prison_draws_groups_protest.html

Use of former prison draws group’s protest

By Leila Fujimori

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Oct 09, 2010

A community group that opposed the state’s shutdown of a Big Island prison is formally contesting the transfer of the Kulani Correctional Facility site to the Department of Defense for the National Guard’s Youth Challenge program.

“The board (Board of Land and Natural Resources) didn’t do their due diligence,” said Kat Brady, coordinator of the Community Alliance on Prisons.

The group questions whether the Land Board overstepped its bounds by turning the land over to the Defense Department — in effect, canceling Executive Order 1225, which established its use as a prison. This action was taken without a formal document from the governor withdrawing the executive order, the petition said.

Community Alliance filed on Sept. 20 a request for a triallike hearing to contest the board’s Sept. 9 decision.

A hearing officer will assist the board in determining whether the group has any standing to bring a contested-case hearing before it. There is no timetable on when the board must rule.

Brady’s group opposed the shuttering of the facility, alleging the Department of Public Safety gradually decreased the number of inmates being sent to Kulani, resulting in its population shrinking from 200-plus inmates to 120 to help justify the decision. “What it looked like is it inflates operating costs,” she said.

With only 120 prisoners, Public Safety Director Clayton Frank cited the per-inmate cost at $110. A comparable Oahu low-security prison costs $65.

“The Department of Defense has had the keys since Nov. 20, 2009,” Brady said. “I don’t know what went on behind closed doors, but they were not ready to do anything with it.”

Frank said, “When the budget was spiraling downwards last year,” the department looked at the closure of Kulani, and the Defense Department contacted Public Safety about acquiring it.

Brady said Land Board Chairwoman Laura Thielen said at the Sept. 9 hearing that Kulani sits in the middle of a pristine rain forest.

“Then why just hand it over?” Brady asked. “They transferred the land to the state’s largest polluter. It’s a dangerous door to open.”

The board and its chairwoman would not comment on the petition, Ward said.

Brady said by transferring the land to the Defense Department, the board forecloses the option of reopening the prison or any other alternatives.

Hawaii National Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Chuck Anthony said the Guard requires an existing, nearly turnkey facility to start up a new Youth Challenge campus.

He said transfers from one state agency to another are nothing unusual, and there was never any intent to use the facility for anything other than the youth program.

“We gave our word,” Anthony said. “There are no plans to do anything other than the Youth Challenge Academy.” To do anything other than that would require going before the board again, he said.

After public opposition, the Defense Department quickly pulled its request to also use the prison site for military training. But it was simply a way of maximizing the use of that facility and not the primary purpose, Anthony said.

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