Tag: Pohakuloa

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Stop Bombing Pohakuloa! Where’s the Outrage?

Stop Bombing Pohakuloa!

Where’s the Outrage?

According to military documents up to 14.8 million live rounds are fired annually at the 133,000-acre Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA), the largest military training area outside the U.S. PTA is located at 6,500 feet elevation in the center of the Hawaii Island. All branches of the U.S. military train at PTA and all sorts of weapon systems are fired there, from small arms to heavy bombers. PTA is contaminated with Depleted Uranium (DU) and other military toxins. Continued live-fire training, frequent high winds, flash flooding, increasing traffic through the area, all risk spreading the contamination.
On Sunday, April 28th a cross section and mix of all ages of Big Island residents stood for 2 hours opposite the PTA main gate on Saddle Rd holding signs with a variety of messages –“Stop the Bombing,” “Shut Down PTA,” “Ground the Drones,” “Void the PTA Lease,” etc. Messages also called for more testing for Depleted Uranium contamination.

The protest began with an opening Pule (prayer) and Oli (chant) ceremony of Ti-leaf blessing of the land and people. We were blessed to have Kupuna “Uncle Sam” Kaleleiki, a 30-year Marine, retired Sergeant Major, join us. Uncle Sam is now with the Reinstated Lawful Government of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He had a large plywood sign in front of him that read “End U.S. occupation.” We stood in solidarity with protests taking place globally against U.S. drone bombings in several countries –Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, etc. Shadow and Raven drones, and possibly others, train at PTA.

There is a drone airfield which can be viewed from Google Earth located close to Mauna Kea State Park –about 1/2 mile south and east of the park between the old and new Saddle Rd. It should also be noted that the military is attempting to renegotiate a long-term lease with the State of Hawaii for it’s live-fire training base at Pohakuloa. We need to oppose this illegal lease and the continuing desecration and contamination of Hawaiian Kingdom Crown and Government land. The State Board of Land & Natural Resources will be addressing the PTA lease in the next few months and we need to speak out in protest.

Kaho’olawe is a case study of the mess the military makes. It bombed the island for 50 years before protest forced it to be stopped. Over $400 million dollars was spent to clean up the island but it’s still a mess. There are lots of unexploded bombs on the island. Pohakuloa is nearly 5 times larger than Kaho’olawe plus it is contaminated with Depleted Uranium.

Following the protest we had a pot luck lunch at Mauna Kea Park. Our radiation monitor, which we had operating throughout the entire protest picked up 2 spike readings at the park of over 30 counts per minute. Normal background readings are between 5-20cpm. The winds were coming from the south — from the direction of the training ranges known to be contaminated with DU. We have plenty of work to do to return Pohakuloa to a place of peace and healing. Please join in this effort. We need you. We owe it to future generations and the earth itself. As we have said, “We pray that the U.S. not do to others what the U.S. has already done and continues to do to Hawaii: unlawfully occupy its government and nation, desecrate its sacred sites, contaminate its air, land, water, people, plants, and animals with military toxins.”

Return Pohakuloa to a Place of Peace and Healing!

1. Mourn all victims of violence. 2. Reject war as a solution. 3. Defend civil liberties. 4. Oppose all discrimination, anti-Islamic, anti-Semitic, anti-Hawaiian, etc.
5. Seek peace through justice in Hawai`i and around the world.
Malu `Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action P.O. Box AB Kurtistown, Hawai`i 96760.
Phone (808) 966-7622.  Email ja@malu-aina.org   http://www.malu-aina.org

Hilo Peace Vigil leaflet (May 3, 2013– 606th week) – Friday 3:30-5PM downtown Post Office

Jim Albertini Malu ‘Aina Center For Non-violent Education & Action P.O. Box AB Ola’a (Kurtistown) Hawai’i 96760 Phone 808-966-7622 Email ja@malu-aina.org www.malu-aina.org

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Aloha ‘Aina – Stop Bombing Pohakuloa!

Announcement of a demonstration at Pohakuloa by Malu ʻAina:

Aloha ‘Aina

Stop Bombing Pohakuloa!

Stop the desecration & contamination of Hawaiian Kingdom crown Lands at Pohakuloa

Sunday, April 28, 2013

10AM till Noon

Pohakuloa Main Gate

Pot Luck Picnic at Mauna Kea Park following the protest

 

(car pools leave Hilo bayfront parking lot makai/Hamakua side of Pauahi St. Kamehameha Ave. intersection at 9AM sharp. Bring water, sunscreen, and be prepared for cool, possibly wet, weather) This is a peaceful, non-violent protest, in solidarity with global anti-drone protests taking place throughout the month of April. Please show respect to all, even those that disagree with us.

      Pohakuloa is the largest U.S. live-fire training area outside the U.S. It is 133,000-acres, nearly 5 times the size of Kaho’olawe. The base is known to be contaminated with Depleted Uranium (DU) and other military toxins. Continued live-fire, and other activities that create dust, risks spreading the radiation and other toxic contamination.

      Pohakuloa is also used for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Drone) training. The U.S. is using drones in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, etc. for surveillance and targeted assassinations. Thousands of people, including many innocent children, have been terrorized and killed by missiles and bombs from U.S. drones resulting in increasing hatred of the U.S. around the world.

      We pray that the U.S. not do to others what the U.S. has already done and continues to do to Hawaii: unlawfully occupy its government and nation, desecrate its sacred sites, contaminate its air, land, water, people, plants, and animals with military toxins.

Ground the Drones!

Void the Unlawful Military Lease

Pohakuloa is a Place for Peace & Healing!

1. Mourn all victims of violence. 2. Reject war as a solution. 3. Defend civil liberties. 4. Oppose all discrimination, anti-Islamic, anti-Semitic, anti-Hawaiian, etc.
5. Seek peace through justice in Hawai`i and around the world.
Malu `Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action P.O. Box AB Kurtistown, Hawai`i 96760.
Phone (808) 966-7622.  Emailja@malu-aina.org   http://www.malu-aina.org

 

Hilo Peace Vigil leaflet (April 26, 2013– 605th week) – Friday 3:30-5PM downtown Post Office

–

 

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Army seeks regulatory exemption for DU in Hawaiʻi as Hawaiʻi Doctors find uranium in people’s urine

Hawaiʻi island peace activists reported that elevated levels of uranium have been found in residents’ urine and demanded that the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Health take more aggressive measures to investigate the cause of this contamination.  After falsely claiming that the Army had not used Depleted Uranium (DU) in Hawaiʻi, the Army now admits to DU contamination in Schofield (Līhuʻe, Oʻahu) and Pōhakuloa Training Area. The Hawaiʻi County Council passed a resolution calling for a moratorium on live fire training in Pōhakuloa as long as DU contamination is present.

On December 5, 2012, the peace organization Malu ʻĀina staged an action at the state Department of Health offices:

A group of 2 dozen Big island residents, many wearing Hazmat type suits, dramatically urged the State Health Department (DOH) to stop being bystanders and become pro-active advocates of public health over the issue of Military Depleted Uranium (DU) radiation contamination at the Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA). In a protest organized by Malu ‘Aina at the Hilo DOH Environmental Health Office, citizens prodded the DOH to follow the Hawaii County Council’s action call in Resolution 639-08 to stop all live-fire and other activities that create dust until there is a clean up of the uranium contamination at PTA. There were several signs with the well known radiation symbol. Other signs read “Test For Radiation; Why Uranium in Urine?; No More Radiation; Peace thru Poison?, Time to Aloha ‘Aina; Time to Mother Earth; DU equals Dirty Bomb, Sacred Mountains under Siege.” There was even the appearance of a well known Hilo resident, playing the role of Governor Neil Abercrombie.

Jim Albertini, of Malu ‘Aina said “DOH action is needed to investigate what’s causing uranium showing up in Big island resident’s urine. Is it uranium weapons that have been fired at PTA or something else? Three MDs and a Naturopathic doctor have patients who have tested high for uranium in urine, including levels exceeding three times the upper expected limit.” Albertini said, “it’s likely that far more uranium weapons have been used at PTA than the 700 hundred or two thousand Davy Crockett DU spotting rounds from the 1960s. Comprehensive independent testing and monitoring is needed to determine the full extent of radiation contamination at PTA and other sites throughout Hawaii. The DOH should be offering free uranium urine tests for Big Island residents, especially people who work at PTA, or travel the Saddle Rd..”

On December 12, 2012, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) held a conference with the Army over the Army’s application for a license to “possess” DU at Schofield and Pōhakuloa.  In a submittal to the NRC, the Army requested an exemption from NRC oversight for the DU contamination in its ranges:

Request an exemption for the US Army from licensing residual Davy Crockett M101 DU on its operational ranges under the provisions of 10 CFR § 40.13(c)(5) or 10 CFR § 40.14(a).

Hawaiʻi island activist Jim Albertini issued the following statement on the NRC meeting with the Army (12/12/2012, 10 am – 1 pm HST). The public could listen in and make comments/ask questions at the end of the meeting:

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will be issuing a license for the mongoose to guard the hen house in Hawaii. The Army will be issued an NRC license to possess Depleted uranium (DU) in Hawaii at Schofield Barracks and the Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA). In effect, the NRC is licensing Hawaii nuclear waste dumps and allowing those dumps to be bombed, spreading the nuclear dump debris wherever the wind takes it. The State Dept. of Health made no comment, nor did it ask any questions, following the meeting. It is a fact that DU exists at Schofield Barracks and PTA, and perhaps other present and former military sites in Hawaii, including Kaho’olawe and Makua Valley. How much is not known. A minimum of 700, perhaps more than 2000, DU Davy Crockett spotting rounds have been fired at Pohakuloa. Less than 1% of PTA’s 133,000-acres have been surveyed. DU cluster bombs, and more than a dozen DU penetrating rounds, DU bunker busters, etc. may also have been fired at PTA and elsewhere. All branches of the US military use DU weapons today. It’s clear to me that we cannot rely on so called regulators to fix the problem. Nuclear regulators are just as much part of the problem as bank regulators. The DOH is also part of the problem. Where have our health officials been all these years on the issue. The military in Hawaii has lied and use deception repeatedly. The US military mission goes before concern for the health and safety of its own troops and Hawaii’s people and land. Uranium is now showing up in Big Island residents’ urine. Is it related to PTA, Fukushima or what? The people have a right to know. Is the military above the law? What’s needed is a peoples’ movement of non-violent resistance to stop the bombing to protect the people and land of Hawaii against attacks by the U.S. military.

Jim Albertini Malu ‘Aina Center For Non-violent Education & Action P.O.
Box AB Ola’a (Kurtistown) Hawai’i 96760 Phone 808-966-7622 Email
ja@malu-aina.orgwww.malu-aina.org

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Stryker brigade isle bound?

The Hawaii Tribune Herald reports “Stryker brigade isle bound?” (October 25, 2012)  that the Army is considering stationing some Stryker combat vehicles on Hawaiʻi island to be closer to training sites at Pōhakuloa:
Courtesy photo A Stryker armored fighting vehicle fires a tow missile in this file photo suppled by the U.S. Army.

Courtesy photo

Army spokespeople are adamant that the idea of Stryker armored vehicles being relocated to the Big Island is just that: an idea. It’s a long way from becoming a reality, they insist.

On Wednesday, Honolulu media reported that the U.S. Army seeks to cut costs and is considering repositioning Stryker vehicles at the Pohakuloa Training Area — either from existing stock at Schofield Barracks on Oahu or those remaining at the end of the Iraq War and the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan slated for 2014.

[. . .]

“Right now, it’s just an idea that our headquarters is considering,” he said. “At this point, there’s not even a feasibility study, or a cost analysis study, which are the very earliest beginning stages to doing anything like this. This idea is still in its infancy.”

A total of 4,800 soldiers stationed at Schofield Barracks in Honolulu are supported by 233 Strykers, said Lt. Col. Kate Guttormsen, deputy public affairs officer for the U.S. Army Pacific. A number of those vehicles are occasionally transported to Pohakuloa Training Area, along with their crews and support personnel, for training exercises.

Most recently, she said, a task force of 800 soldiers traveled to Pohakuloa with 25 Stryker vehicles for a 30-day training exercise, costing the Army approximately half a million dollars.

[. . .]

Jim Albertini, a well-known critic of military operations at PTA and president of the Malu Aina Center for Nonviolent Education & Action, said Wednesday he would oppose any plan to station the vehicles on the isle.

“My initial reaction, of course, is to oppose it,” he said.

Albertini said he has long railed against any kind of live-fire exercises at PTA that could create dust and risk spreading radiation from depleted uranium shells.

The Army has admitted to using the area in the past to test rounds made from depleted uranium, a weak radioactive heavy metal. Several years ago, the Army worked to find and remove the rounds at PTA to make the area safe for Stryker training. A number of studies undertaken by the Army about the potential health risks posed by the rounds at PTA have come up showing no risk is apparent.

Albertini and others, however, claim that the Army has misrepresented the dangers. They point to a resolution passed by the Hawaii County Council in 2008 that recommends the Army stop all activity at PTA until further study and clean-up efforts can be completed.

 

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Depleted Uranium at Schofield and Pohakuloa – Army chafes at NRC regulations

In 2005, DMZ-Hawaiʻi / Aloha ʻAina first exposed the fact that, despite Army assurances that depleted uranium was not used in Hawaiʻi, in fact, depleted uranium (DU) had been found at Schofield Barracks on Oʻahu. Since then, the Army has tried to dismiss the problem. In order to not run afoul of nuclear regulatory laws, the Army applied for a Nuclear Regulatory Commission license to “possess” DU at several ranges, including Schofield and Pohakuloa in Hawaiʻi.   Several activists petitioned to intervene in the proceedings, but were denied standing. However, the regulatory conference calls are open to the public.  It seems that the Army has been trying to skirt the NRC regulations.  After receiving the license to “possess” DU in Schofield, the Army decided to start doing grubbing and construction in a contaminated area.  The NRC told the Army to stop because their permit did not allow for such a “removal” action.   There was recently a conference call on this matter. Thanks to Cory Harden from Sierra Club Moku Loa chapter who shared her unofficial notes from that call, which, by the way, are quite revealing of the Army’s dismissive attitude to the health risks as well as their disrespect to the NRC regulators.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM 7-12-12 TELEPHONE CONFERENCE

ON HAWAIʻI DEPLETED URANIUM (DU)

BETWEEN NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (NRC) AND ARMY

Caveat—there may be inaccuracies—this is my best understanding of a technical discussion—Cory

Testy exchanges punctuated the conversation.

  • The Army said onerous NRC restrictions put soldiers at “unnecessary and unacceptable risk” by impacting training and NRC has “virtual control of Army training ranges…” NRC countered by asking what specific conditions in the license will impact training and how NRC’s “statuatory mandate [is] harmful to the nation.”
  • The Army said the DU response nationwide has cost $10 million so far, and ongoing costs will be $100,000 a year per Hawai’i base (Pohakuloa and Schofield). There are 15 other known DU sites in the U.S. NRC asked what percentage of the Army’s operational budget $100,000 was. The Army said they’d get back to NRC in writing.
  • NRC told the Army sharply not to “throw reports” at NRC “willy-nilly” but to tie them to relevant conclusions. NRC called for more data to back up several Army conclusions, such as little migration of DU, and no need for sampling of sediments and of ground and surface water. The Army said NRC requirements keep becoming more burdensome. NRC asked if the Army was contesting one of the license conditions. Army staff said they were not authorized to answer.

Issues covered included:

  • For now, no high-explosive munitions will be fired into DU areas. To resume firing, the Army would need to do a risk assessment (requiring another telephone conference) plus environmental monitoring.
  • NRC said there was uranium in some water samples, but the Army did not mention this to NRC. The Army said they will release a study on this soon.
  • Isaac Harp asked that air monitoring be done at Makua, where no ground surveys were done because of unexploded ordnance and thick vegetation. The Army said they have data on Makua which they will share with NRC.
  • NRC will look into whether the 2,000-pound dummy bombs dropped on Pohakuloa from high altitudes may liberate DU dust.
  • Dr. Cherry of the Army said they will do their best to check for DU in exploratory water wells planned for Pohakuloa.
  • The Army agreed it was inappropriate when a DU air sampling study at Schofield included ash and soil in one sample.
  • The Army wishes to delay issuance of the license until the end of August so it can address issues raised by NRC.
  • It is possible to challenge the license after it is issued, but the license would not be changed unless the challenge succeeded.
  • NRC is looking into ways to make information on the license and ongoing reports more easily available to the public.

Dr. Cherry of the Army said:

  • the Atomic Energy Commission (precursor to NRC) and NRC had numerous opportunities, such as license renewals, over the course of 50 years, to offer guidance to the Army on controls for DU spotting rounds, but never offered any guidance.
  • A May 10, 2011 document (I didn’t catch the author) said the spotting rounds were not believed to pose a health hazard and they could be left on the ranges. So the Army may have had no obligation to inform NRC of the 2005 discovery, but did so anyway.
  • All studies indicate no health hazards, low probability of migration, and harmless radiation levels.

Cory Harden

PO Box 10265

Hilo, Occupied Hawai’i 96721

mh@interpac.net

 

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Fire in Kahuku Training Area, burning shorts and RIMPAC aircraft assault Pohakuloa

KHON reported that there was a brush fire in the Kahuku Training Area this afternoon:

The Honolulu Fire Department reported that the Kahuku Training Area fire is contained. All firefighting operations were concluded by 5:45 p.m. Army Range Control personnel will monitor the fire area overnight.

The Honolulu Fire Department reports that the Kahuku Training Area fire is 90 percent contained. The fire started shortly before 2:30 p.m. and burned approximately 3.5 acres in the Army training area. The HFD worked with the Federal Fire Department and Army Fire and reported the fire 90 percent contained as of 5 p.m.

The Honolulu Fire Department is working with the Federal Fire Department and Army Fire to contain a small wildfire in the Army’s Kahuku Training Area, approximately 1-2 miles above Kamehameha Highway. There are no reports of property damaged or threatened by this fire and no reports of injuries.

The Army is not allowed to do live fire training in Kahuku.  So I wonder what the source of the fire was.  The recent fire in Lualualei that burned more than 1200 acres began inside the Navy base.  Sometimes, old phosphorous illumination rounds left behind from past training activity have been known to spontaneously ignite when exposed to air.   This is a continuing problem in Lihu’e, where the Schofield Training Range is located.

Recently in San Onofre, CA, a woman suffered burns when her shorts burst into flames.  The fire was caused by strange “rocks” picked up at the beach:

Lyn Hiner, a 43-year-old California mom, is in the hospital recovering from second- and third-degree burns after some colored rocks her family found on the beach exploded in her shorts pocket and caught fire, ABC News reports.

Hiner’s daughters found the green and orange rocks during an outing to San Onofre State Beach in southern California and gave the rocks to their mother.

When Hiner and her husband, Rob, were preparing to go out that night, the rocks erupted in her pocket, she told ABC News.

[. . .]

“There were actual flames coming off her cargo shorts,” Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Marc Stone told ABC News.

Scientists investigating the incident say the seven rocks that Hiner’s daughters brought back contained traces of phosphorus, the chemical found on the tips of matches, ABC News reports.

In 2007, a series of news stories reported that pieces of ocean-dumped munitions were washing ashore in Wai’anae and that homeless residents were stringing these into “Hawaiian Jade” to give to tourists.   Could it be that incidents like this are the origin of the urban legend that bad things happen to visitors who take rocks from Hawai’i?

Meanwhile, Hawai’i island will assaulted by increased aircraft traffic and noise as RIMPAC training takes place at Pohakuloa:

The amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) transits through the Pacific Ocean. Essex is deployed for Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise 2012, the world'€™s largest multinational maritime exercise, which includes 22 nations, 42 ships, six submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Raul Moreno Jr.)The amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) transits through the Pacific Ocean. Essex is deployed for Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise 2012, the world’€™s largest multinational maritime exercise, which includes 22 nations, 42 ships, six submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Raul Moreno Jr.)

MEDIA RELEASE

An F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to the "Bounty Hunters" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 2 breaks to enter the landing pattern over the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). U.S. Navy photo by MC2 James R. EvansAn F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to the “Bounty Hunters” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 2 breaks to enter the landing pattern over the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) last year. U.S. Navy photo by MC2 James R. Evans

PŌHAKULOA TRAINING AREA, Hawaii— Big Island residents will hear increased aircraft noise over Pōhakuloa Training Area due to the beginning of the Navy’s biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, the world’s largest international maritime exercise.

U.S. Navy and Air Force aircraft, as well as aircraft from some of the other 21 participating nations, will begin arriving at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam this week.

Navy fighter aircraft began training over PTA on June 24 and will continue until July 1. They will also train from July 7-9. RIMPAC is scheduled to begin officially on June 29 and conclude Aug. 3.

All noise abatement complaints can be directed to the RIMPAC Command Information Bureau at (808) 472-0239. For more information about RIMPAC, visit the exercise website at www.cpf.navy.mil/rimpac

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Two news stories on recent Makua court ruling

Here are two articles citing the recent court ruling that enjoins the Army from conducting live fire training in Makua until it has completed marine environmental impact studies as required by a 2001 settlement with Malama Makua.   The Honolulu Star Advertiser reported “Army must conduct more studies on live-fire training at Makua” (June 21, 2012).

The AP reported “Judge wants updated Makua Valley studies” (June 22, 2012):

No branch of the military has trained in Makua with live ammunition since 2004, after the Army failed to complete a court-ordered environmental study on the effects of decades of military training. The Army and its opponents have been embroiled in a decade-long legal dispute over how the military may use the valley.

Many Native Hawaiians consider the valley sacred. Others object because the environment includes more than 50 endangered plant and animals. Lawsuits came after the training exercises led to multiple fires in the 4,190-acre Waianae Coast valley.

But this court ruling will not bar all Army training in Makua, and the slow easing out of Makua may be deliberate misdirection from the enormous military (Army and Marine Corps) at Pohakuloa on Hawai’i island:

Army officials say the military branch will abide by the order and use the military reservations in different ways, and decide whether to resume live-fire training once the studies are complete.

“The Army will continue to prepare soldiers through a training regimen that does not employ live fire while studies are completed, the results are analyzed and the appropriate level of National Environmental Policy Act planning is completed,” the Army said in a statement.

Last year, the top Army commander in the Pacific told The Associated Press he would need to keep his options open on Makua in case the construction of new ranges at Schofield Barracks and Pohakuloa Training Area is delayed.

In other words, the Army is holding Makua hostage while it expands on Hawai’i island.

 

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Send in the Choppers?

Here’s a report from recent hearings for proposed Marine Corps helicopter expansion plans that were held on Hawai’i island:

http://bigislandweekly.com/news/send-in-the-choppers.html

Send in the Choppers?

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

Marines unveil EIS for more helicopters here.

By Alan D. McNarie

The Marines were back in town last week, holding meetings in Waimea and Hilo to get public input on a plan to base three more squadrons of attack aircraft in the islands and train them at areas including Hawai’i Island’s Pohakuloa Training Area. As usual, they got an earful from Native Hawaiians, peace activists and concerned citizens. But they also got support from a few parents of past and former military personnel, who wanted the Corps to provide its personnel with the best training possible.

The plan would bring up to two Marine Medium Tiltrotor (VMM) squadrons and one Marine Light Attack Helicopter (HMLA) squadron to the islands, where they would be based on O’ahu and train there and on other islands. The VMM squadrons would bring with them a total 24 MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, which take off and land vertically like helicopters and fly like airplanes; a relatively recent and controversial addition to the Marine Corps Arsenal, they replace large troop-transport helicopters and have superior range and speed, but bring with them a troubled reputation for crashes, malfunctions, delays and cost overruns during their development. But when one resident brought up a troubling report about the aircraft’s performance, a Marine spokesman said those problems had largely been solved by improved parts and supply.

“Every mission that we’ve been asked to do with the V22, we have been able to do.”

The HMLA squadron is armed with 15 AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters and 12 UH-1 Huey utility choppers. Hueys and Cobras have been flying with the Marines since Vietnam, but the airframes have gone through a series of updates, and the Marines are planning to replace neither with a radically different vehicle in the near future. A helicopter pilot who accompanied the Marine Team at Hilo told Big Island Weekly that while the new AH-1Z version of the Cobra has better range, performance and electronics than the current choppers, its logistics and personnel needs would be about the same.

Coming along with the aircraft would be approximately 1,000 active-duty military personnel, 22 civilian personnel (contractors and government employees), and 1,106 civilian dependents, mostly stationed on O’ahu.

On the Big Island, most of the impacts of the new squadrons would be felt, literally, at Pohakuloa. The squadrons will be using the firing range and various landing sites there, and “New construction or improvements to existing landing zones and other facilities” are expected to occur. Marine officials assured BIW that the landing sites they had identified for use in training were within PTA itself. One map on exhibit at the meetings showed possible landing zones marked in red within the training area, but also showed five landing zones, including Mauna Kea State Park, marked in black outside the PTA boundaries. Marine officials told BIW that those sites were on the map for “reference” only.

[…]

Residents expressed concerns that powdered DU, which has been linked to cancer and other ailments, could be kicked up by continued use of the Pohakuloa firing range and drift to residential areas and Waikoloa Elementary School.

“Less than one percent of the base has been surveyed, so how do you know that you’re not going to be impacting DU?” pointed out Albertini. “To say that this is outside the scope of this EIS is bogus, because you don’t know where the DU is.”

One resident wondered if DU and other heavy metals from the firing range could also get into the local groundwater supply, and noted that that the possible effects of Pohakuloa activities on groundwater were not addressed in the EIS.

In response, a Marine official admitted that “”there has never been an investigation,” of the aquifer under Pohakuloa, though the Army has gotten funding to sink two test wells.

“Nobody knows where that water is,” he said. “We will, know, probably, by 2012.”

The EIS itself raised some concerns about impacts on historic and cultural sites, though most of the ones identified were on O’ahu. The document identified no pre-contact cultural sites on the Big Island and only two historic ones: the fence wall from ranching days and “the old Kona to Waimea Government Road.” PTA has an ongoing program to protect known cultural sites. But Native Hawaiians have long complained that most of the PTA firing range has never been surveyed. At the Hilo meeting, one resident cited the lament of a Native Hawaiian who complained that he’d repeatedly been denied permission to collect “the bones of his ancestors,” which were lying exposed on the range and had been broken into smaller and smaller pieces over the years.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

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Hawai’i island residents blast Army expansion at Pohakuloa

The Hawaii Tribune Herald reports that more than fifty people turned out to testify against the Army’s proposed expansion of training facilities at Pohakuloa.

“We don’t want any further militarization of our island,” Bunny Smith said.

According the Hawaii Tribune Herald,

The next step is to come up with the (cost) numbers to construct,” Egami said of the modernization of training infrastructure and the construction and operation of a battle area within the 132,000-acre military facility.

Meeting the 25th Infantry Division’s training requirements will necessitate constructing a 200-acre Infantry Platoon Battle Area, according to the DEIS. Included will be a simulated battle course consisting of a live-fire shoothouse and a building like those found in urban warfare.

Also, the Army wants to construct various buildings for munitions storage, vehicle maintenance and administrative use. Those and related facilities would be built outside the 200-acre battle area.

Testimony was colorful and passionate:

Hawaii needs “houses of justice and peace” rather than military shoothouses, said peace activist Jim Albertini of the Malu ‘Aina Center for Nonviolent Education and Action.

“We want the U.S. to stop bombing Hawaii,” he said.

In directly addressing Army Col. Douglas Mulbury, commander of the Army Garrison Hawaii, Moanikeala Akaka said the military will have to pay tens of millions of dollars to remove World War II-era bombs like one found recently at Hapuna Beach State Park.

“You know, it’s hard to have respect for your institution when you ignore and so callously treat our homeland,” she said.

“We say no expansion; do it somewhere else,” Akaka shouted, generating applause from the audience.

Claiming the military is in Hawaii illegally, Cory Harden of the Sierra Club questioned whether the firing will dislodge depleted uranium found at PTA, triggering fires like those that have occurred at the Army’s Makua site on Oahu, or pose other public health risks.

“You’ve got to wonder what hazards are lurking out there. Apparently, nobody knows,” she said.

 

Posted on

Military expansion in Pohakuloa hearings on Hawaiʻi Island

Mahalo to Jim Albertini of Malu ʻAina:

Two Important Meetings Coming Up!

Published by jalbertini on November 2nd, 2011 in Hawaii Independence, Military, Public Events, Radiation, Social Justice, Take Action!.

FYI  Important meetings coming up:
#1.  DLNR & Senate people
#2.  EIS Pohakuloa expansion .  See below for details

Opportunity to talk about need for comprehensive testing and monitoring at Pohakuloa for DU radiation contamination, Mauna Kea, etc
Hilo, Waimea and Kona meetings (see below)

SENATE COMMITTEE ON WATER, LAND AND HOUSING HOSTING
DLNR LISTENING SESSIONS ON HAWAI‘I ISLAND

HILO—The Senate Committee on Water, Land and Housing (WLH) Chair Senator Donovan M. Dela Cruz and Vice Chair Senator Malama Solomon in partnership with Senator Gilbert Kahele are hosting the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ (DLNR) Hawai‘i Island Listening Sessions on Friday, November 4 and Saturday, November 5, 2011. The DLNR Administration team, including Chairperson William J. Aila, Jr., First Deputy Guy H. Kaulukukui, and Water Deputy Bill M. Tam from Honolulu, is visiting Hawai‘i Island to hear community comments, questions, and concerns regarding topics under the Department’s jurisdiction.  This is part of a series of DLNR Listening Sessions to be conducted statewide.

“The meetings and site visits that DLNR has been conducting on the neighbor islands have been very successful in helping Senators address community concerns and needs,” said Senator Donovan M. Dela Cruz, who has been attending the talk story sessions.

“Having Chair William Aila and his team visit the Big Island is a great opportunity for them to listen to residents and to see for themselves the pressing needs of our community,” said Senator Malama Solomon, who represents District 1, which encompasses Waimea, Hāmākua, North Hilo, Keaukaha, and Hilo.

“I look forward to continuing the conversation with Chair William Aila and his DLNR team about finding a solution to the problem the axis deer is posing on the Big Island’s agricultural industry,” said Senator Gilbert Kahele, who represents District 2, encompassing Ka‘ū, Puna and Hilo.

“These listening sessions are purely for the Department to visit with communities and receive feedback on the communities’ ideas and concerns relating to the Department’s responsibilities,” said William J. Aila, Jr., Chairperson of DLNR. “Community participation is essential to caring for our land and natural resources in Hawai‘i.”

The DLNR is responsible for managing 1.3 million acres of state land, 3 million acres of state ocean waters, 2 million acres of conservation district lands, our drinking water supply, our fisheries, coral reefs, indigenous and endangered flora and fauna, and all of Hawai‘i’s historic and cultural sites.  DLNR’s management responsibilities are vast and complex, from the mountaintops to three miles seaward of our beautiful coasts.  The health of Hawai‘i’s environment is integral and directly related to its economy and quality of life.

For more information on DLNR and its divisions, visit www.hawaii.gov/dlnr.

If you are unable to attend but would like to send your comments, questions, and concerns to the DLNR, please e-mail:  DLNR2011ListeningSessions@hawaii.gov

Hawai’i Island Public Listening Sessions

Hilo Listening Session
Hosted by Senators Donovan M. Dela Cruz, Malama Solomon and Gilbert Kahele
Friday, November 4, 2011
5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Waiakea High School Cafeteria
155 West Kawili Street, Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720

Waimea Listening Session
Hosted by Senator Malama Solomon
Saturday, November 5, 2011
10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Waimea Middle Public Conversion Charter School
67-1229 Mamalahoa Highway, Kamuela, Hawai‘i 96743

Kona Listening Session
Hosted by DLNR
Saturday, November 5, 2011
3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Konawaena High School Cafeteria
81-1043 Konawaena School Road, Kealakekua, Hawai‘i 96750

Individuals requiring special assistance or accommodations are asked to contact the office of Senator Malama Solomon at (808) 586-7335 or 974-4000 Ext. 67335 toll free from the Neighbor Islands at least four days in advance of the meeting.
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Army EIS hearings on Pohakuloa Expansion
6:30-9:30PM

Tuesday, Nov. 8th Aunty Sally’s Luau Hale in Hilo 799 Piilani St.
Wednesday, Nov. 9th Waimea Elementary School  cafeteria -67-1225 Mamalahoa Highway

If can’t attend. send testimony by Nov. 30 to PTAEIS@bah.com or by fax to (808) 545-6808, or mail to PTA PEIS PO Box 514, Honolulu, HI 96809
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Jim Albertini

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