Malu 'Aina

Public Meetings on Pohakuloa EIS should be Public Hearings with Public Testimony!

April 23, 2024

usarmy.hawaii.nepa@army.mil

The two “Public Meetings” set for the Big Island on May 6th from 6-8 PM at Waimea District Park and May 7th from 6-8 PM at Imiloa Astronomy Center should be PUBLIC HEARINGS and not limited to two hours.  These meetings (that should be held in all 9 BIG ISLAND districts) need to provide an opportunity for members of the public to offer public testimony.  That means let others hear what each person is saying.  I remember being at such a public hearing on Pohakuloa 20 years ago at the Naniloa that went on from 6PM to 2 AM.  Hundreds of people participated because it was important to hear one another.

The 2 hr. public meetings now set for the PTA lease renewal are not public hearings. It’s more like a science fair where people can walk around various military stations set up on specific topics to learn and ask questions.  While there is nothing wrong with that aspect, it is not enough.   If a person wants to speak on the record, they are told to go over into the corner and speak to a stenographer. No one else can hear what that person has to say.  The existing public meetings are designed to isolate and disempower the community by not being able to hear one another’s concerns.

What’s needed in addition to the “science fair model” is public testimony following the opportunity to view and raise questions at the various displays.  Public testimony empowers the community by hearing one another’s concerns.  We learn by listening to one another, not just listening to military propaganda.

Jim Albertini, president of Malu Aina

cc: government officials and the news media

Important Public Meetings

about the Military wanting to retain land

by State lease renewal, land swap, etc.

at the 133,000 acre

Pohakuloa Toxic Area

in the center of Hawaii Island that has been bombed and shelled for 75 years with a wide range of toxins including Depleted Uranium radiation.

6-8 PM Mon. May 6 Waimea District Park
6-8 PM Tue. May 7 ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center on UH Hilo Campus

Mark your Calendars!

See the draft #2 EIS

https://home.army.mil/hawaii/ptaeis/project-home

Please pass the word. Mahalo.

Pohakuloa

Radiation Dangers!

   Depleted Uranium (DU) radiation, is just one of many toxins used at the 133,000-acre military Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA), located in the center of Hawaii Island from over 75 years of bombing and shelling. After years of military denial that DU was used at PTA, information surfaced in 2007 that confirmed its use, not only at PTA but at Schofield Barracks on Oahu, likely Makua Valley, possibly Kaho’olawe, etc. Even before DU was confirmed to have been used at PTA, our organization detected elevated radiation readings with certified radiation monitors several times background levels, blowing in the winds off PTA. DU which has a half-life of 4.5 billion years, was first used at PTA as a spotting round for the Davy Crockett nuclear weapon system in the 1960s. Modern DU weapons are used as armor-piercing penetrating weapons.

     DU does not pose a danger when outside the body. But DU metal when burned creates tiny DU oxide particles that can be easily inhaled. Once inhaled, according to Dr. Lorrin Pang, MD, these particles can travel through the body’s lymph system and cause cancer in various organs. DU can also cause birth defects, and genetic damage that can be passed to future generations. Dr. Pang, a Hawaii resident, spent 24 years in the Army Medical Corps and was listed in the Who’s Who (top 3%) of America’s best doctors. Dr. Pang says especially vulnerable to DU inhalation are young children and pregnant women. See a short video by Dr. Pang on DU dangers here https://vimeo.com/19153948 Also watch an important 14-minute video about Pohakuloa – “Now that you know, do you care?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r10eRMjIRw Continued bombing and shelling at PTA can resuspend DU and other toxins that can be carried long distances in the wind.

      On Thursday, April 25, 2024, the military invited school children and the general public to “Experience Pohakuloa Day” on the base. Our organization sent letters, emails, and faxes to every school on the island advising against any student excursions to PTA out of health concerns. In a Public Service Announcement to the schools, we included the link to the video by Dr. Pang.

      The military has ignored a Hawaii County Council resolution (#639-08) that called for stopping all live fire at PTA and any activities that create dust until comprehensive, independent testing, monitoring and clean up of the DU present is done. So who, or what, is the military defending?

Protect Hawai’i Keiki!

Stop Bombing Pohakuloa!

1 . Mourn all victims of violence. 2. Reject violence & war as solutions. 3. Defend civil liberties.
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Malu ‘Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action

P.O. Box 489 Ola’a (Kurtistown), Hawai’i 96760

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April 26, 2024, Hilo Peace Vigil leaflet – week 1178 – Fridays 3:30-5 PM downtown Post Office