HB305 Land Restoration –Aloha ‘Aina Land Trust DEFERRED
Aloha ʻĀina Land Trust
In the 2025 Hawaii State Legislature HB305 proposes the creation of the “Aloha ʻĀina Land Trust” to rehabilitate and manage lands transferred by the U.S. military to the State after the leases for those lands expire. Below is a statement by Ka La Hui Hawaii on HB305.
“One hundred percent of the lands that the U.S. Military currently leases from the “State of Hawai‘i” are “ceded lands” or Hawaiian Kingdom lands, taken without the consent or compensation of Hawai‘i’s indigenous people (U.S. Public Law 103-150). These military leases, covering approximately 30,000 acres, are set to begin expiring in August 2029. The U.S. Military leases these lands on the islands of O‘ahu, Kaua‘i, Maui, and Hawai‘i from the “State of Hawai‘i.”
In 2024, the U.S. Army conducted a series of public hearings on their Draft Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) regarding the retention of 6,322 acres of “state” lands at Mākua Military Reservation (MMR), Kahuku Training Area (KTA), and Kawailoa-Poamoho Training Area, as well as 23,000 acres at Pōhakuloa Training Area (PTA). These Draft EIS documents identified these lands as habitats for endangered and threatened species and outlined scenarios for partial retention. For instance, one scenario for O‘ahu proposed retaining only 162 acres in Mākua Valley while relinquishing KTA and the Kawailoa-Poamoho Training Area altogether. Similarly, the PTA Draft EIS suggested retaining only 10,100 acres of the 23,000 acres currently leased. Regardless of one’s stance on the military lease issue, there must be a mechanism in place to receive, rehabilitate, restore, and remediate lands that may not be retained by the U.S. Military. Remediation is particularly critical, as it is well known that the U.S. Military seldom returns lands in a usable condition. This remediation must be funded by the U.S. Military.
The U.S. Military forcibly removed inhabitants from areas such as Mākua starting in the 1920s, beginning with the ‘ohana of Kahueai (L.C.A. 9052). By 1942, the remaining inhabitants of Mākua were also removed, with reports of some families being forcibly removed at gunpoint. To this day, descendants lament their inability to return to their traditional lands and visit the graves of their family members. To address this injustice, it is vital that the first right of return, once leases expire or if partial retention occurs, is granted to the kuleana landowners.
Similar to the process established for Kaho‘olawe, military lands returned upon the expiration of state leases in 2029 should be held in trust until they are transferred to a sovereign Kanaka Maoli entity. Ka Lāhui Hawai‘i strongly supports the precedent set by Hawai‘i Revised Statutes §6K-9 for Kaho‘olawe and advocates for its extension to any lands returned from expiring U.S. Military leases.
We respectfully and strongly urge this committee to pass HB 305.”
End All Military Leases. Ua mau ke ea o ka ‘aina i ka pono!
Malu ‘Aina stands in strong support of HB 305. No more leased lands to the military. No land swaps either. Make the military clean up its toxic mess and return the lands to the Hawaiian people. In addition to ending military leases, the executive orders that simply seized Hawaiian lands need to be reversed. At Pohakuloa, 23,000 acres are leased, 84,000 acres were seized at ZERO cost in 1964 by a Presidential executive order. On Jan. 28, 2025 The House WAL committee recommended that HB305 be DEFERRED. See testimony here http://HB305_TESTIMONY_WAL_01-28-25_/
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