Category: O’ahu

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Skies above Marine base expected to grow busier

The Honolulu Star Advertiser reports that the proposed expansion of Marine Corps aviation activities in the Marine Corps Base Hawaii Kaneohe Bay will increase by 49%.   Ko’olaupoko residents have an opportunity to speak out against this plan!

http://www.staradvertiser.com/newspremium/20111116_Skies_above_Marine_base_expected_to_grow_busier.html?id=133945443&c=n

Skies above Marine base expected to grow busier

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Nov 16, 2011

A new Marine Corps study says airfield use at Kaneohe Bay is expected to increase 49 percent by 2018 compared with a 2009 “base-line” level of activity, as the Corps and Navy update aging aircraft and add new capability in a reflection of Hawaii’s growing importance in the Pacific.

Plans call for basing 18 P-8A Poseidon submarine-hunting jets at Kaneohe Bay, 24 MV-22 tilt-rotor Ospreys, 18 AH-1 Cobra and later, Viper, attack helicopters, and nine UH-1 Huey transports.

The 652-page draft environmental impact statement released by the Marines for the helicopters and Ospreys also points to a 200 percent increase in “transient” large jet operations by aircraft such as Air Force C-5 cargo carriers and Russian/Ukrainian An-124s, the world’s largest cargo airplane, as logistical needs grow.

The increases would be offset by the retirement of two squadrons of about 24 aging CH-53D Sea Stallion helicopters (one squadron of CH-53E Super Stallions would remain) and the departure of most of the Navy’s propeller-driven P-3C Orion sub hunters.

Plans for so many aircraft plying the skies near their neighborhoods have some Kaneohe residents worried even more about the noise that has been a constant and sometimes unwelcome companion along the emerald bay.

“It’s absolutely ridiculous,” said Kaneohe resident Guy Ballou. “The noise is going to increase so much here that the quality of life is going to go down incredibly.”

[…]

Between 2012 and 2018 the helicopter and Osprey basing would bring about 1,000 active-duty personnel and 1,106 dependents to Kaneohe Bay, which had 9,872 Marines and dependents living on base in 2010, according to the study.

The Marines’ preferred plan for the helicopter and Osprey basing is paired with $578 million in anticipated construction costs to demolish old barracks and build three new four-story buildings, construct two hangars and a new headquarters, renovate and expand existing facilities, and create an additional reinforced concrete landing pad at West Field over six to 10 years.

The helicopters would be the first to start arriving, as soon as next fall, with five Cobras and four Hueys.

The Marine Corps has prepared an draft environmental impact statement that is currently available for review and comments.

Officials said in May the first P-8A Poseidons would come to Hawaii in 2015, and the basing plan has one squadron of 12 Ospreys showing up in 2014 and the second in 2015.

The draft EIS, available at www.mcbh.usmc.mil/mv22h1eis, has a 45-day public comment period, and public meetings will be held on Oahu and Hawaii island from Nov. 30 to Dec. 8.

The Osprey are a controversial and dangerous aircraft that has come under fire by Congress for cost overruns and accidents.

The helicopter and Osprey basing is “part of the Marine Corps’ plan to restructure and rebase its forces in the Pacific over the next 10 years,” the report said.

It seems that the plan to  “restructure and rebase” U.S. forces in the Pacific are linked to growing opposition in Okinawa.   The expansion would not only affect Kane’ohe. Training areas outside of Mokapu, such as Pohakuloa and even Kalaupapa on Molokai, will see increased activity under the proposed plan.

Flight training would take place not only at Kaneohe Bay, but also at Bellows, Schofield Barracks East Range, Dillingham Airfield, Pohakuloa Training Area on Hawaii island and even at Kalaupapa Airfield and the inactive 12-acre Molokai Training Support Facility, which would be reactivated.

[…]

According to the environmental study, there were 52,669 aircraft operations at Kaneohe Bay in 2009, including 5,449 landings and takeoffs by practicing Air Force C-17s, one of the biggest sources of jet noise complaints. By 2018 there are expected to be 78,725 flight operations.

By comparison, in 2002 there were 90,000 airfield operations. Marine Corps officials said the increase was preceded by the closure of Barbers Point and movement of P-3 aircraft to Kaneohe Bay.

Here is the schedule of Public Meetings on the Draft EIS:

Public Meetings Public meetings will be held to obtain comments on the EIS in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and to meet public involvement requirements pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).

Island of Hawaii

Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Waimea Elementary School Cafeteria
67-1225 Mamalahoa Hwy., Kamuela, HI
5:30-6:30 PM: NHPA Sec 106 input
6:30-8:30 PM: Open house

Thursday, December 1, 2011
Hilo Intermediate School Cafeteria
587 Waianuenue Ave., Hilo, HI
4:30-5:30 PM: NHPA Sec 106 input
5:30-7:30 PM: Open house

Island of Oahu

Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Mililani Middle School Cafeteria
95-1140 Lehiwa Dr., Mililani, HI
5:30-6:30 PM: NHPA Sec 106 input
6:30-8:30 PM: Open house

Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Waimanalo Elementary & Intermediate School Cafeteria
41-1330 Kalanianaole Hwy, Waimanalo, HI
5:30-6:30 PM: NHPA Sec 106 input
6:30-8:30 PM: Open house

Thursday, December 8, 2011
Castle High School Cafeteria
45-386 Kaneohe Bay Dr., Kaneohe, HI
5:30-6:30 PM: NHPA Sec 106 input
6:30-8:30 PM: Open house


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Pearl Harbor-Hickam Restoration Advisory Board (RAB)

The Pearl Harbor-Hickam Restoration Advisory Board will meet tomorrow at 7:00 pm at the ‘Aiea Library.   The Pearl Harbor Sediment Draft Feasibility Study should be of interest to many. It will deal with proposals for cleaning up the contamination in the sediment of Ke Awalau o Pu’uloa, which is substantial.  Here’s the invitation.  The meetings are open to the public:

Aloha,

This is a reminder of the Pearl Harbor-Hickam Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) meeting on November 17, 2011 to discuss three presentations:

  • Pearl Harbor Sediment Draft Feasibility Study, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
  • Time Critical Removal Action for the Sandblast Grit Disposal Sites, Waipio Peninsula
  • Transport Yard Draft Remedial Investigation Work Plan Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard Intermediate Maintenance Facility

Date: November 17, 2011 (Thursday)

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Aiea Elementary School Cafeteria (see attached map), 99-370 Moanalua Road, Aiea, HI 96701

Mahalo,

Rachel Gilhooly

Geologist

Environment, West Region, Pacific District

D 808.356.5343

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Marion Kelly, 1919 – 2011

Auntie Marion Kelly, a life-long activist / scholar who fought for Hawaiian sovereignty, cultural preservation and the environment, died peacefully in her home on Saturday, November 12, 2012.
As an anthropologist committed to cultural survival of Kanaka Maoli, Marion was a dissenting voice on many destructive projects in Hawai’i.  In 1974, she produced an oral history of elders from Makua valley who were evicted by the Army during WWII.  Faithful to the concerns she heard from residents, Marion concluded that the Army needed to clean up and return the land to the residents.   The Army, which had commissioned the study, never finalized or published the report.  But bootlegged, dog-eared copies circulated in the community and ended up in libraries.  This report helped to awaken a new generation of activists to the harm done by the military and the need to liberate Makua from military occupation.  At every chance she got, Marion reminded the public that the Army had tried to suppress the history of dispossession and struggle in Makua.
Marion’s husband John Kelly, who died several years ago, was also a groundbreaking activist and organizer with Save Our Surf and other community organizations.
Auntie Marion’s fiery spirit and sharp mind will be missed.  But a spark of her fire burns within the hearts of the many lives she touched.
Marion Kelly!  Eo!

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In APEC’s Shadow: The Pacific People’s Economy

http://www.civilbeat.com/articles/2011/11/10/13740-in-apecs-shadow-the-pacific-peoples-economy/

In APEC’s Shadow: The Pacific People’s Economy

By Chad Blair11/10/2011

John Hook/Civil Beat

APEC is “armed and dangerous” and “drunk with power,” capable of enacting violence against people and destroying whole economies.

That harsh assessment comes from Victor Menotti, executive director of the International Forum on Globalization.

[…]

Moana Nui — Hawaiian for “big ocean” — was organized by “a loose collective” of academics, activists and community leaders. The speakers talked about a “liquid nation” that struggles to sustain itself in an “American lake,” to use the title of a book by the conference’s keynote speaker, Walden Bello.

[…]

“We envision a better future for all people,” said Osorio. “We never want to lose sight that we as a native people have a stake.”

“We come here to find a way to rise up to support the liquid nation,” said Menotti.

That nation involves labor, faith groups, environmentalists, peace activists and indigenous leaders.

Menotti continued: “All our different movements have come together to challenge APEC and the Trans-Pacific Partnership agenda and assert our own agenda.”

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APEC’s first defining moments: 1 man dead, 8 arrested for peaceful protest

An alleged murder in Waikiki involving a federal agent and arrests of (De)Occupy Honolulu protesters have heralded the debut of APEC 2011.

Confusing details are emerging about the alleged killing of Kollin Elderts by off-duty APEC state department agent Christopher Deedy, an incident Ian Lind calls the “first defining moment of APEC”.

KHON reported that:

Witnesses say 27-year-old Christopher Deedy stayed with the victim, trying to stop his bleeding until EMS arrived.

“I walked out there was a guy covered in blood holding the guy’s chest just to keep him from bleeding to death,” Davus says.

Witnesses also say when police arrived, Deedy told them ” I was the one who shot him.”

But the Honolulu Star Advertiser report contradicts this account:

Deedy was identified and arrested a short distance away at 2234 Kuhio Ave. at 3 a.m.

[…]

A man wearing a collared shirt ran from the restaurant, heading in the Ewa direction, Evans said. Inside McDonald’s, Evans said, a man was holding on to the victim, trying to keep him from collapsing.

KHON also reported:

Witnesses say the 23 year-old man was shot once in the chest.

But Hawaii News Now reported several shots were fired.

“I heard bam and it woke me up. And I kind of stirred and wondered where that came from. And then I heard bam, bam, bam shortly after that,” Reinking told Hawaii News Now.

This was also corroborated by the Honolulu Star Advertiser:

Chuck Crowell, who is renting a unit at the Royal Kuhio vacation condominium across from the McDonald’s, said he was lying down in his room when he heard, “Pow! Pow! Then a pause. Then pow again.”

Hawaii News Now reports that

According to [Eldertsʻ] family, [Christopher Deedy] followed Elderts to the restaurant.

The Honolulu Star Advertiser reports that Deedy “has been charged with second-degree murder and use of a firearm in commission of a felony.”

What makes this tragic killing so creepy is that the government will not confirm that Deedy, a State Department security agent, is in Honolulu for APEC.   What are they hiding?

Meanwhile the nascent (De)Occupy Honolulu movement has launched its protests into the international news with the arrest of eight people Saturday night.  The protesters cited the first amendment and a Hawaiian law declared by Kamehameha I “Kanawai Mamala Hoe” (The Law of the Splintered Paddle” as their “permit” to be in the park after 10 pm in solidarity with the homelesss who have been swept from parks, overpasses and other safe havens to “clean up” Honolulu for the APEC invasion.  As the protesters said “Our rights do not end at 10 pm!”   Here’s a clip of their statement a moment before they were arrested:

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Pearl Harbor-Hickam man held in alleged sex assault at Ala Moana

Honolulu Star Advertiser reports that a 24-year old man, “who lives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, was arrested pending charges of first-degree sexual assault, unauthorized entry into a vehicle, fourth-degree theft and criminal property damage.”  The victim alleges that “the man entered her vehicle without her permission and sexually assauilted her about 3 a.m. The man also stole money from her and damaged her vehicle, police said.”  The incident occurred at Ala Moana Center.

Meanwhile, the paper also reports “Federal agent from mainland arrested for killing man in Waikiki”:

A U.S. State Department law enforcement agent from the mainland was arrested for fatally shooting a man in his 20s early this morning on Kuhio Avenue in Waikiki, sources said.

Honolulu police identified the alleged shooter as Christopher W. Deedy, 27, and sources who asked to remain anonymous confirmed that he is a federal agent who was off-duty at the time of the shooting. The victim was identified by family and friends as Kaneohe resident Kollin K. Elderts, 23, a Kalaheo High School graduate.

[…]

[A State Department spokeswoman] would not confirm whether he was here for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference which begins Tuesday.

But Deedy’s LinkedIn web page identifies him as a special agent working for the Bureau of Diplomatic Security at the State Department and from the Washington D.C. area.

According to the State Department’s website the bureau is responsible for providing a safe and secure environment for the conduct of U.S. foreign policy. President Barack Obama and 20 other world leaders are expected to attend the APEC Leaders’ Meeting next weekend.

Is this the kind of flotsam that will wash up on our shores with APEC?

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Action Alert: Keep Waianae Country! Stop industrial encroachment on agricultural land!

Developers want to change agricultural land to industrial in the heart of Lualualei valley in Wai’anae, some of the richest and most productive farm lands in Hawai’i.

The Waianae Sustainable Communities Plan is coming before the City Council on Nov. 2nd (1pm, Kapolei Hale).

1. Please send letters to the council members through this link sponsored by KAHEA.

2. Come to the hearing to testify in person and/or show support with signs etc. See instructions below on how to testify.

3. Send in written testimony online at this link.

The key issue is to remove the “purple spot” (agricultural land rezoned to industrial) from the Waianae Sustainable Communities Plan.  Waianae and Ewa residents should also contact Tom Berg with your concerns. As the Council Member for the district, his position will be influential.

CITY COUNCIL

PUBLIC HEARING

  DATE: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2011
  PLACE: KAPOLEI HALE

CONFERENCE ROOMS A, B, C

1000 ULUOHIA STREET

KAPOLEI, HAWAII  96707
  TIME: 1 P.M.
     
 
Bill 50, CD1 (Exhibit A) – Amending the Waianae Sustainable Communities Plan.  (Amending Chapter 24, Article 9, Revised Ordinances of Honolulu and replacing the Waianae Sustainable Communities Plan.)
     
 
Bill 54 – Relating to stored property.  Establishing a procedure for the removal and disposal of personal property stored on public property.)
     

SPEAKER REGISTRATION

¨         Prior to the Day of the Meeting

Persons wishing to testify on the above-mentioned public hearing items may register by:

a.    using the On‑Line City Council Speaker Registration form available at http://www.honolulu.gov/council/attnspkph.htm;

b.    sending a fax to 768-3826 indicating your desire to register to speak, along with your name, phone number and subject matter;

c.    filling out the registration form in person; or

d.    calling 768-3814.

¨         On-site on the Day of the Meeting

Registration on-site for the above-mentioned public hearing items will be from 7:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Persons who have not registered to testify by the deadline will be given an opportunity to present oral testimony on an item following the registered speakers by raising their hand at the time additional speakers are called upon.

Each speaker shall not have anyone else read their statement and is limited to a three‑minute presentation.

WRITTEN TESTIMONY – Prior to the Day of the Meeting

If you wish to submit written testimony:

a.    fax to 768-3826 or

b.    go to http://www.honolulu.gov/council/emailph.htm to e‑mail your written testimony.

15 copies are requested if written testimony is submitted on-site.

By submitting written testimony, you are not automatically registered to speak.  Refer to “SPEAKER REGISTRATION” procedures above.

If submitted, written testimonies, including the testifier’s address, e-mail address and phone number, may be posted by the City Clerk and available to the public on the City’s DocuShare Website.

Any physically challenged person requiring special assistance should call 768-3814 for details at least one day prior to the meeting date.

Copies of the Bills and any amendments thereto are available at the City Clerk’s Office, Room 203, Honolulu Hale or on-line at http://www4.honolulu.gov/docushare.

CITY COUNCIL

CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU

ERNEST Y. MARTIN, CHAIR

 

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America’s Secret Empire of Drone Bases

Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam may become an operator base for drone aircraft.  Hawaii News Now reports:

Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam could start controlling one of the military’s newest and most lethal weapons.The Air Force announced that the base is a candidate to operate Predator and Reaper Aircraft.

[…]

The aircraft would not be assigned to Hawaii, however, they would be controlled from here […]

If Hickam is selected as a drone base, it would join an invisible empire of drone bases that have multiplied in recent years.   Nick Turse has written an excellent expose on the vast network of U.S. drone bases:

Using military documents, press accounts and other open source information, an in-depth analysis by AlterNet has identified at least 60 bases integral to U.S. military and CIA drone operations.  There may, however, be more, since a cloak of secrecy about drone warfare leaves the full size and scope of these bases distinctly in the shadows.

Here is “America’s Secret Empire of Drone Bases: Its Full Extent Revealed for the First Time”.

Turse believes that the impending Pentagon budget cuts will mean an increase in the use of drones:

Drones are now the bedrock of Washington’s future military planning and — with counterinsurgency out of favor — the preferred way of carrying out wars abroad.

The global network of more than 1000 U.S. military bases will provide infrastructure for expanding the drone programs:

Earlier this year, an analysis by TomDispatch.com determined that there are more than 1,000 U.S. military bases scattered across the globe — a shadowy base-world that provides plenty of existing sites that can, and no doubt will, host drones.  But facilities selected for a pre-drone world may not always prove optimal locations for America’s current and future undeclared wars and assassination campaigns.  So further expansion in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia is likely.

What are the Air Force’s plans in this regard?  Lieutenant Colonel John Haynes was typically circumspect.  “We are constantly evaluating potential operating locations based on evolving mission needs,” he said.  If the last decade is any indication, those “needs” will only continue to grow.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

What is the rate of accidents?  Civilian casualties?  Military.com reports that a military cargo plane was struck by a drone in Afghanistan recently:

A military cargo plane from the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station was damaged when an unmanned drone crashed into it during an Afghanistan mission last month, officials have confirmed.

The C-130 Hercules transport plane, assigned to the 914th Airlift Wing of the Air Force, had to make an emergency landing after it was struck by the drone on Aug. 15, authorities said.

The rapid rise of drones has opened  up a can of ethical and legal issues that humanity has yet to reckoned with.

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“Living Along the Fenceline” in Jeju

The Stars and Stripes reports that “Naval base puts S. Korea’s ‘island of world peace’ in hot spot”:

JEJU ISLAND, South Korea — This country’s southernmost major island is a study in contrasts.

A popular tourist destination, Jeju boasts some of the world’s most beautiful scenery and is one of 28 finalists in an international competition for selection as one of the “New 7 Wonders of Nature.” Yet it’s also home to a number of cheesy tourist stops, including Jeju Love Land, a sexual theme park.

In 2005, the South Korean government officially recognized Jeju as the “island of world peace,” and then-President Roh Moo-hyun said he would do his best to make it a “center of peace in Northeast Asia.” But South Korea is now building a naval base on the island for the expressed purpose of enhancing its ability to police its vital shipping lanes and respond faster to any North Korean threats.

Critics suggest that once the base opens in 2014, the U.S. will use it extensively, with the goal of keeping an eye on China. That, they say, could make the “island of world peace” a target the next time hostilities erupt in the region.

[…]

The base could also prompt China to hasten the buildup of its naval firepower, further heightening tensions on the Korean peninsula, [Yang Mu-jin, a professor of politics and unification studies at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul] said.

The South Korean government has tried to downplay the social and political implications of the base and have even drawn comparisons to the U.S. military in Hawai’i as an example of good military-civilian relations:

“The project is not aimed at building a military-only base for war,” the ministry’s August report said. “It is targeted at preventing war by strengthening maritime sovereignty, realizing peace and supporting other naval warships of South Korea.”

Pointing to other “successful civilian-military harbor complexes” like those in San Diego and Hawaii, the defense ministry said the naval base and the island of world peace “both can coexist in (a) mutually complimentary manner.”

But in Hawaiʻi, we know that this is rubbish.   The military has taken a terrible toll on local communities and the environment.  It was the force that drove the regime change and occupation of the sovereign and independent Kingdom of Hawaiʻi.   The South Korean Defense Ministry erroneously referred to “successful civilian-military harbor complexes” in Hawaiʻi.   Pearl Harbor is not accessible for civilian use.   Warning signs along the shoreline of Ke Awalau o Pu’uloa make it clear that despite Hawai’i’s otherwise strong shoreline public access laws, the water is off limits.

Meanwhile, the documentary film “Living Along the Fenceline”, which was screened at the 12th annual Women’s Film Festival in Jeju, exposes the social and environmental costs of military bases around the world, including Hawaiʻi.  Director Lina Hoshino and Co-producers Gwyn Kirk and Deborah Lee attended the film festival.  The Jeju Weekly reports:

One expat asked the most provocative question of the evening. He asked Ms. Kirk if she thought Jeju Island and its forthcoming naval base represented an inevitable pattern around the world for the creation of more military bases. Ms. Kirk answered she believed the US will inevitably want to build more bases if US imperialism continues to grow. She conveyed that if we can imagine a different kind of future that actively addresses climate change, use of resources, etc… then it is not inevitable. We need a change in leadership and attitude in the US and US allies, including South Korea, who should refuse to have a US military base in the country.

Answering another question, Ms. Kirk said today the United States government spends half of its tax dollars on the world military system, not including the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. A grassroots campaign advocates spreading the money from the defense budget to other social programs including education, health care, care for children, the elderly, and people with disabilities, and domestic violence shelters. Unfortunately, these programs are being cut because of the economic crisis. But, the military budget remains intact.

Secondly, Ms. Kirk said there is another campaign to educate people about the military worldwide. People are unaware about the US’s worldwide military presence and are often shocked by the actual number of bases. This film is part of this education campaign.

Ms. Kirk hopes the film inspires people to think about what a military base means in their communities. She said it is important for people to be clear what happens when a military base is installed in a new location. She said, “It is tempting to think military bases will bring jobs. The reality is military spending generates the fewest amount of jobs of any government spending.” The military is a capital intensive industry, not a human capital intensive industry. The same amount of money spent on a military base spent on education or health care would generate far more jobs.

Terri Keko’olani with Hawai’i Peace and Justice and DMZ-Hawai’i / Aloha ‘Aina is featured in the film.

 

 

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Makua: Wildfires and Military Toxins

On September 28, a wildfire caused by an Army detonation of unexploded ordnance burned 100 acres in Makua Valley:

A fire burned about 100 acres of the Army’s Makua Valley training range Wednesday after it was started by workers who had detonated unexploded ordnance.

An Army spokesman said the detonation was part of a routine, ongoing cleanup operation. No one was injured. The fire was contained about 4 p.m.

No threatened or endangered species or native Hawaiian cultural sites were affected, according to an Army cultural resoucre official at the scene, the Army said.

This week, the court ruled that the Army failed to adequately study possible contamination of seaweed in the sea off Makua training area.  The Civil Beat reports “Army Can’t say Whether Hawaii Seafood Is Safe”:

Waianae-area residents still can’t be certain whether seafood they harvest off their shore is safe from dangerous levels of arsenic and lead. A federal judge has ruled that Army tests of possible contamination have fallen short and advocates for the community say more tests likely will be necessary.

Contractors hired by the U.S. Army to test whether 80 years of military operations had poisoned local residents’ seafood attempted to test seafood including fish, limu, sea cucumbers and octopus without diving into the water to collect specimens, according to an environmental law firm that sued the Army.

But the contractors never left the beach and the testing was inadequate, said David Henkin, an attorney with Earthjustice representing Malama Makua, a local community organization.

[…]

“What’s really sad is for a community to have to get into federal court and spend over a decade to battle the military,” said Sparky Rodgrigues, president of Malama Makua and a Vietnam veteran. “I went to battle hoping I wouldn’t have to come home to battle.”

Bullets and unexploded ordnance are strewn throughout the Makua Military Reservation where the Army has been doing military exercises since the 1920s. Residents worry that chemicals such as arsenic, lead, chrome and uranium from the artillery could be leaching into the soil and entering the ocean through runoff. Rodrigues said that the chemicals could also be released into the air and absorbed into plants.

The court order supplements an October 2010 ruling in which Mollway also ruled that the Army had failed to adequately test marine resources. While the military found high levels of arsenic in a previous test of seafood, officials didn’t test whether it was inorganic arsenic, and thus highly carcinogenic, or organic, which doesn’t pose a human health risk.

The 2010 ruling also said that the Army violated a separate settlement obligation to complete archeological surveys to determine whether cultural resources could be damaged by stray shells and mortar rounds.

The military has been banned from doing live round firing since 2004 and is unlikely to be able to resume the activities until the testing is complete.

Rodrigues said the military wasn’t being good neighbors “by contaminating the water, food source and environment.”

“The military takes from our community and doesn’t really give back,” said Rodgrigues.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

 

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