GaryHooser's Blog

The Environmental Notice provides public notice for projects undergoing environmental review in Hawaiʻi as mandated under Section 343-3, Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes, the Environmental Impact Statement Law

“The following agency exemption list, which serves as guidance for the agency in making exemptions, has been submitted to the Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) for review and concurrence. At the request of the EAC, this draft exemption list is being published for public review and comment. Please click on the following link to view the list and submit any comments by October 8, 2025 to dbedt.opsd.erp@hawaii.gov ”

Comprehensive Exemption List for the State of Hawaii, Agribusiness Development Corporation.

Important: Some of these proposed exemptions appear to be designed to specifically circumvent the current requirement (per recent Syngenta court case) that experimental research activity conducted on state owned agricultural lands must undergo a thorough environmental review as per HRS343.

Note on page 13 item 15 proposes exemptions for “research…into all aspects of agricultural production and processing”.

In addition there are other apparent blanket exemptions proposed for research connected activities and pesticide/chemical use etc

Please take a moment and read through the proposed exemptions and offer your comments ASAP and prior to October 8 to dbedt.opsd.erp@hawaii.gov

Gary Hooser

Uncertainty is the villain of the moment, and it can only be defeated through assertive action.

Waiting around for something bad to happen is — in and of itself — killing us.

As University of Hawai’i political scientist Colin Moore recently said so eloquently, “Hope is not a strategy.”

Thus, we must hope for the best and plan for the worst.

Our governor and legislative leaders have said repeatedly that there are no immediate plans for a “special legislative session,” and they’re “waiting to see” how Hawai’i will be impacted by the yet-to-be-passed federal budget.

For the past nine months the constant refrain, echoed in the media and from our own congressional delegation, has been THE SKY IS FALLING!

As DOGE has taken a chainsaw to public education, national parks, healthcare and just about every federal program in existence (except the military), we’ve been warned repeatedly about the “pending budget cuts” that are headed our way.

The Big Beautiful Bill raised further the specter of additional cuts to vital state services.

The President loudly threatens further budget cuts to various blue states, cities, and universities which have the audacity to disagree with him.

Meanwhile Hawai’i cowers in the corner, keeping our heads down and our mouths shut, hoping to avoid the ire or attention of the authoritarian who currently occupies the Oval Office.

But in the wise words of Professor Moore, “Hope is not a strategy.”

It is WAY past time for Hawai’i to move off the dime, exercise true proactive leadership, and prepare for what is now on our doorstep.

A special session is needed NOW to ensure that sufficient state funding is available to compensate for the pending federal budget cuts, and/or to enhance and improve existing programs.

A roll-back of the 2024 politically-driven state tax cuts, with an estimated cost of $1 billion per year starting next year, must be put on the table. A half billion dollars per year can easily be “recaptured” while continuing to preserve tax breaks for low-to-middle-income families.

Recently signed into law, Act 310 – which grants two state senators and two state representatives the power to decide, behind closed doors, which nonprofits get a piece of a pie worth $50 million — MUST be fixed. Formerly known as SB933, this is bad policy, bad politics, unconstitutional, AND corruption just waiting to happen.

A special session must also be used proactively to emulate California, which just became the first state to ban most law enforcement officers, including federal immigration agents, from covering their faces while conducting official business.

And of course, the 600 lb. gorilla in the room: Our governor and state legislature must insist, loudly, clearly, in writing, and in the courts if necessary – that the U.S. military must take full responsibility for Red Hill, clean up Makua and other locations, follow existing state law, comply with all existing lease conditions, AND stop bullying Hawaii’s people with threats to take Pōhakuloa by force via eminent domain.

I’ll repeat it once again: HOPE IS NOT A STRATEGY. We need our Governor, and our state legislators to be PROACTIVE and to schedule a special session NOW.

If you agree and want to do more yourself than just “hope” they do the right thing – please share your thoughts TODAY with:

Governor Josh Green (808) 586-0034
Senate President Ron Kouchi 808-586-6030, senkouchi@capitol.hawaii.gov
Speaker of the House Nadine Nakamura 808-586-6100, repnakamura@capitol.hawaii.gov
AND your district Senator and Representative
https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/fyl/

It will take our collective ACTION to turn our collective HOPE into the reality that we need and deserve.

Gary Hooser
garylhooser.blog

Every day we hear of senseless killings. Children die in their classrooms, political figures are assassinated in their homes and onstage, innocents are murdered without trial or sentencing, and there are tragic shootings in communities everywhere.

Gov. Josh Green’s recent statement about the rise of political violence gives us great hope.

He says, in part: “It is time for us to change who we are, oppose all violence against one another, and find ways to bridge our differences as fellow human beings, not as polarized adversaries.”

Our hope, and our request of Gov. Green today, is that he’ll turn his lofty words of inspiration into tangible action steps towards achieving that vision.

As he clearly states: “ … today, innocent civilians are needlessly dying every hour in war zones in Russia, Ukraine and Gaza, and also in the streets of America, all because we have lost some part of our collective humanity. We have come to accept some amount of violence against one another as though it’s normal or acceptable. It’s not normal. It’s not acceptable.”

You really and truly nailed it, governor.

Please lead us further down this path you’ve articulated so well, and don’t let your words simply be empty rhetoric.

Please say out loud that Hawaii wants no part of a values system that places the pursuit of war above the pursuit of peace.

Say out loud that Hawaii will not exchange our core values for a piece of the Department of War budget pie, no matter how large a piece is offered.

Please tell the world that neither bullying “warrior ethos,” intimidation, nor threats of retaliation are acceptable.

Then, Gov. Green, please take the next bold and crucial steps.

Declare your opposition to the U.S. military’s continued bombing of Pohakuloa, insist that the Army follow Hawaii law, and require them to clean up the mess they’ve already made.

Condemn the violence, and declare, for the whole world to hear and understand, that Hawaii is a place where peace and aloha are honored, respected and nurtured.

This is your opportunity to honor and support the mission of the Spark M. Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, as well as the vision of Aunty Pilahi Paki, who said: “The world will turn to Hawaii as they search for world peace because Hawaii has the key … and that key is aloha.”

Imagine, for a moment, Hawaii as a beacon of peace that sets an example for communities and countries around the globe.

Imagine people of all colors, of all ages, from all countries, all walks of life and all religions, looking to and learning from the example we set in our islands — an example grounded in the teachings of our kupuna, and in the island-based values that enabled so many to share and care for such a beautiful yet fragile home in the middle of the Pacific.

As we witness our children inherit nothing less than a dying planet, it is on all of us to redefine humankind’s very role as inhabitants of our grandmother Earth.

We cannot afford to let this opportunity to help lead a global pivot away from death and destruction, toward a new era of peace, justice and sustainability, slip through our generation’s fingers.

As you said, governor, our potential is extraordinary … and indeed, the world is watching.

Take these next steps. End the military leases. Help lead Hawaii, and the world, on a path toward peace.

Co-authored by:
Healani Sonoda-Pale is a kanaka maoli community organizer; Gary Hooser is a former Hawaii state senator; Wayne Tanaka is director of the Sierra Club of Hawaii.
First Published in the Honolulu StarAdvertiser 09/21/25

The Charter of the County of Kaua`i states in Section 32.01. “There is established within the legislative branch an office of the county auditor, to be headed by a county auditor who shall be appointed by the county council…”

For the past 9 years the Kaua`i County Council has chosen not to comply with this requirement of the Charter.

The purpose and job of the County Auditor is to ensure that financial audits are conducted regularly, AND to perform “performance audits”.

Performance auditing evaluates the efficiency and effectiveness of an agency’s operations, makes recommendations for improvements AND in the process exposes waste, fraud, and abuse.

The Kaua`i Charter specifies this position is to be independent and nonpolitical. It grants the auditor significant power stating “…the county auditor shall have full, free, and unrestricted access to any county officer or employee and shall be authorized to examine and inspect any record of any agency or operation of the county, to administer oaths and subpoena witnesses and compel the production of records pertinent thereto.”

Yet the Kaua`i County Council has decided for the past 9 years not to fund this office, not to hire a full time independent auditor and not to comply with the Kaua`i Charter.

The Kaua`i Charter is the foundational legal document for Kauai County, as the Hawai’i State Constitution is for State government, and the U.S. Constitution is at the federal level.

Full disclosure: I was a member of the Kaua`i County Council and a sponsor of the Charter amendment that created the “Office of the County Auditor”.

When asked, various Councilmembers will claim the Council has “tried” but been “unable to fill the position”. They will then point to other audits the Council has authorized and funded, implying they are thus fulfilling the intent of the Charter.

The Charter language establishing the office of the auditor is clear, as is the Council’s failure to comply.

Hawai’i, Maui, and the City and County of Honolulu each has an Office of the County Auditor plus related support staff. Apparently they have overcome whatever hiring challenges the Kaua`i Council is claiming has kept them from fulfilling their legal duties.

The Office of the Auditor is designed to be independent from the day-to-day political environment that exists at all levels of government.

When the Council itself targets a specific County agency for an audit, that decision by definition is a political one.

The Charter specifies the Council may continue to request audits by Resolution but the County Auditor may also conduct “Performance audits of the funds, programs, and operations of any agency or operation of the county…” WITHOUT THE APPROVAL OF THE COUNCIL OR MAYOR.

An independent County auditor will ensure both random AND regular audits of EVERY County agency occur.

We have excellent County employees serving at all levels with many if not most going above and beyond the call of duty – every single day.

However, as is the case for every large organization public and private, there’s also some degree of waste, fraud, abuse, and inefficiency.

An independent Office of the Auditor will reveal which agencies are understaffed and consequently struggling to adequately fulfill their mission, AND which ones are overstaffed and thus wasting our public tax dollars.

Regular performance audits of all County agencies will also reveal financial mismanagement, the inappropriate or inefficient use of County equipment, and perhaps inconsistent enforcement or favoritism in the permitting process.

The fundamental purpose of a “performance audit” is to evaluate the existing performance of an agency and make recommendations as to how to improve that performance.

Isn’t that what we want and need?

Let’s hope our Council soon finds a path to get there.

Gary Hooser
former member of the Kaua`i County Council 8 years
former State Senator representing Kaua`i 8 years

Eleven people are dead, blown to pieces because they were suspected members of a Venezuelan gang of drug traffickers.

There was no trial, no testimony, no jury, and no opportunity to deny the allegations.

Neither the names nor the ages of the 11 who were murdered have been revealed.

Whether any were drug dealers, or whether any drugs were actually on the boat that was obliterated by a “kinetic missile strike,” we will never know.

We DO know that nobody was offered a chance to surrender, to explain why they were on the boat, or to say anything at all.

They were simply blown to smithereens while President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth high-fived each other and laughed from the sidelines.

Yes, we are being ruled by murderers who care nothing about international law, the U.S. Constitution, human rights or human life.

And you and I, who sit on the sidelines wringing our hands in despair, are also to blame.

Yes. Through our silence and inaction, we are complicit.

We sit and watch daily the slaughter and starvation of the children of Gaza.

Many of us shake our heads in disgust, and a few speak out boldly in social media, but most just sit silently, afraid to make a scene, offend, or be labeled antisemitic.

When university students began getting arrested just for speaking out, and immigrant neighbors started getting hauled away in the middle of the night by masked ICE agents, THAT was a tipping point.

Thankfully the movement to stop the out-of-control MAGA train is now growing. As it becomes increasingly impossible to look away, people are gathering by the thousands in towns and cities everywhere to organize and to publicly protest.

Meanwhile, the Trump authoritarian regime is moving forward, deploying troops in our cities to quell nonexistent criminal unrest.

Our U.S. Congress and federal courts seem impotent — unable or unwilling to take action.

Our President and his henchmen are now killing people without warning — people who’ve not been proven guilty of anything at all.

International law prohibits the arbitrary deprivation of life, which includes extrajudicial killing. This norm is codified in every major human rights treaty and has attained jus cogens status as a non-derogable norm in international law. In the United States, the Torture Victim Protection Act (TVPA) establishes civil liability for extrajudicial killing. Source: “When Death Becomes Murder: A Primer on Extrajudicial Killing,” Columbia Human Rights Law Review

We can and we must stop the insanity that now permeates all sectors of what we once called “civil society.”

As individuals and as a community, we must refuse to cooperate with the federal governments’ actions when those actions violate the U.S. Constitution, international law, and/or our own state laws and constitution.

And we must send a message loud and clear to the President, to our congressional delegation, our Governor, and to state and county leaders:

Stop the extrajudicial killings. Stop the ongoing slaughter of innocents in Gaza. Join our European allies in defense of Ukraine. Stop ICE’s trampling of due process. Remove troops from our cities unless they’re requested by mayors and governors. Follow the Constitution. Respect the balance of power between Congress, the Executive Branch, and the Judiciary.

Oh, and find RFK Jr. another job.

Government leaders at all levels must reject the temptation to “go along to get along,” hoping to be rewarded by that demented man at the top of the crazy festering sore that is the U.S. Presidency.

And you and I?

We must make those calls, show up at those meetings, hold signs, and fill the streets.

And in 2026, we must vote out the enablers who would rather appease a tyrant than fight for our future.

Gary Hooser
I cannot unsee those 11 human beings, being blown to smithereens.
Every morning I watch the starving children of Gaza and every morning the body count of innocent civilians climbs.
Every day, all day long, I see and read and listen to the sick lunacy of the United States Presidency.
We can and we must figure out a path forward – together.
I’ll see you at the barricades.

Uncle Loui Cabebe is smiling down upon us, of that I have no doubt. As a member of Ke Kauhulu O Mana and a plaintiff in our communities recent huge win at the Hawai’i Supreme Court, his legacy of caring and protection of the aina – lives on.

He spoke for all of us when he said in 2018 shortly after the initial legal action was filed, “We are the ones feeling the impacts from corporate agriculture. We are the ones who are hurting. We can see the damage that is being done to our land and to endangered birds and marine life. The burden should be on the companies to prove that their activities are safe.”

The Hawai’i Supreme Court just said Uncle Loui was right AND the Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) failed to do its job protecting our communities health and natural environment.

Mahalo Uncle Loui and to all the Plaintiffs – Ke Kauhulu o Mānā, Punohu Kekaualua III, Hawai’i Alliance for Progressive Action (HAPA), Surfrider Foundation, and Koholā Leo.

Mahalo also to the excellent legal team of Lance Collins and Bianca Isaki who persisted through thick and thin…all the way to the Hawai’i Supreme Court – and won!

Mahalo plenty and especially and hugely our Hawai’i Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald.

Hawai’i is extremely fortunate to still have in place a judicial branch of government we can have faith and confidence in.

My hope is that in the future, our government agencies and elected leaders will listen closer to the words of those who live, work, and raise their families near these lands.

“For generations, our ʻāina has been exploited and contaminated by corporate practices. The impact is not just on the land, but on our families. Our keiki are forced to live with obstacles created by environmental injustice—burdens that should never have been theirs to carry.” Punohu Kekaualua III, Aloha ʻĀina and Cultural Practitioner, Plaintiff

Hawai’i Revised Statutes HRS 343 says that actions involving state conservation lands MUST undergo an environmental review to disclose potential environmental and health impacts.

The “action” in this case was a proposed lease by Syngenta of State conservation lands adjacent to a sensitive shoreline area.

Syngenta is one of the largest agrochemical companies in the world. It’s a Chinese owned conglomerate, headquartered in Switzerland that develops and sells genetically modified seeds, AND manufactures and sells highly toxic pesticides/herbicides.

Many of the pesticides and genetically modified products Syngenta (and affiliates) develop, use, and sell in Hawai’i are illegal to develop, use or sell in Switzerland where the company is based.

These companies spray dangerous chemicals in fields, along roads, and next to schools and residential areas here in Hawai’i, that are forbidden by law to use in their own country.

Syngenta’s federal permits to conduct experimental genetic modification research, marked “not for release into the natural environment” are NEVER reviewed by the State.

The Court found the BLNR failed to follow proper procedures when it exempted Syngenta’s Hawai’i operations (now Hartung Brothers) from environmental review, and thus the potential environmental impacts of such activities were never disclosed or analyzed.

YES, this is a big win for our community, YES when the revocable permit is renewed or a new lease entered into an environmental assessment at the minimum will be required, and YES this sets precedent for other cases.

Full disclosure: I was Board President when HAPA joined this legal action against the BLNR and Syngenta. Prior to that, I was a member of the Kauaʻi County Council and fought tooth and nail against Syngenta during the Bill 2491 saga.

So yes, I’m totally biased and doing cartwheels at the moment.

Tomorrow we huddle to figure out next steps, but today we celebrate.

Gary Hooser

I’m getting tons of calls and email asking me what action needs to be taken with regards to the Pōhakuloa situation and related issues.

There are multiple groups, organizations, and individuals, at this very moment coalescing around this very question.

The momentum is palpable.

You can help today by making a simple phone call to Governor Green and your district State Senator and Representative. You’ll probably get staff or voicemail but that’s ok – your message will be delivered and that’s what counts.

If you live on Hawai’i Island your County Council testimony for the upcoming September 3rd hearing, is also critically important.

As you know Trump’s Army is trying to force their way into a new agreement with the State that will allow the continued bombing of Pōhakuloa.

I wrote about this recently – Trump’s army is threatening to take Hawai’i lands by force.

Please join me and others across the islands and take these two actions.

1) Hawai’i County Residents, PLEASE SUBMIT TESTIMONY AND SHOW UP Wednesday September 3, 9:00AM @ Hilo Council Chambers – 25 Aupuni St, Hilo (# 1401) in STRONG SUPPORT of Resolution 234 25

Written testimony must be sent to counciltestimony@hawaiicounty.gov prior to Tuesday Sep. 2.

Please copy individual council-members:

Heather Kimball: Heather.Kimball@hawaiicounty.gov
Jennifer Kagiwada: jennifer.kagiwada@hawaiicounty.gov
Dennis “Fresh” Onishi: dennis.onishi@hawaiicounty.gov
Ashley Kierkiewicz: ashley.kierkiewicz@hawaiicounty.gov
Matt Kaneali’i-Kleinfelder:
matt.kanealii-kleinfelder@hawaiicounty.gov
James Hustace: james.hustace@hawaiicounty.gov
Michelle Galimba: michelle.galimba@hawaiicounty.gov
Rebecca Villegas: rebecca.villegas@hawaiicounty.gov
Dr. Holeka Inaba: holeka.inaba@hawaiicounty.gov

To provide oral testimony via Zoom, call (808) 961-8255 or councilremotetestimony@hawaiicounty.gov by 12PM, Tues., Sept 2.

2) Regardless of the island you call home – Call Governor Josh Green 808-586-0034 (if busy call East Hawai’i gov. liaison: 
808-974-6262) and YOUR DISTRICT SENATOR AND REPRESENTATIVE.

Please deliver to them (you’ll most likely get staff or voicemail) a polite and professional message in support of Hawai’i County Council Resolution 234 25 and let them know about your opposition to the continued bombing of Pōhakuloa.

Here’s an easy way to – Find Your Legislator

Below are key points you might consider sharing.

Aloha Governor and State Legislators,

My name is (fill in the blank), I’m a resident of (fill in the blank) County and I’m calling today to share my concerns and opposition to the continued bombing at Pōhakuloa and related issues.

Please respect the residents of Hawai’i County and support/honor Hawai’i County Council Resolution 234 25

Please say NO to the US Army and their request to “fast-track” the process and avoid compliance with Hawai’i law.

End the live fire and bombing at Pōhakuloa; Protect air, water, and sacred lands. No lease. No land swap. No land sale.

Please insist on compliance with State law HRS343 and require FULL DISCLOSURE of environmental, health, and cultural impacts.

Please honor Article XI of the State Constitution and PROTECT the public trust.

Thank you Governor/Senator/Representative for listening, please let me know at your earliest convenience where you stand on this important issue – (leave name and email and/or phone).

We must make the Governor and our Legislators aware of how we feel about this critically important issue AND we must do it before September 3.

AND Hawai’i County residents must send in their testimony by September 2, and show up in person at the Hilo Council Chambers on September 3.

As you have no doubt figured out by now, September 3 is an important day. We need all of us to step up now to make sure that day is a good one.

Sincerely,
Gary Hooser
Just a regular guy trying my best to navigate through these convoluted and dangerous times in which we are now living.

My father was a career Navy man. He retired after 30 years as a Chief Boatswain’s Mate, serving for decades on the USS Bon Homme Richard.

I was literally born into the U. S. military and grew up moving from one military base to another, from California, to the Philippines, to Japan, Alaska, and finally to Ford Island, Hawai’i. I am proud of my father’s service and believe without question we need a strong military.

But enough is enough.

Here in Hawai’i, the U.S. military controls over 220,000 acres including the land under Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hickam Airforce Base, Kaneohe Marine Corp Base, Fort Shafter, Schofield Barracks, Wheeler Army Air Field, Pōhakuloa, Kahuku, Kawailoa-Poamoho, Makua, Pacific Missile Range Facility, and numerous other military offices.

The United States is the largest exporter of weapons worldwide, with more military bases in more countries than any other.

The U.S. spends more money on “defense” than any other country on the planet, approximately $916 billion per year – more than the combined defense budgets of China, Russia, India, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, Germany, Ukraine, France, and Japan. (Source: Peterson Foundation, rated unbiased and non-partisan)

It’s WAY past time for a reset.

This is where thinking globally and acting locally gets real.

We can and we MUST stop the cycle of aggression, and expand instead our efforts toward peace, reconciliation, and diplomacy.

Support for American troops, belief in the importance of national security, and rejection of the endless expansion of the U.S. war machine are values that can, and MUST, co-exist.

We can maintain a strong defense AND we can exercise our right to say enough is enough.

It’s time for us here in Hawai’i to step up, do what is right, and set the example for others to follow.

It’s time we say NO to the renewing of land leases at Pōhakuloa, Kahuku, Kawailoa-Poamoho, and Makua. It’s time to refuse expansion at PMRF Barking Sands and say NO to the bombing of Kaʻula Island.

Imagine it.

Imagine the people of Hawai’i saying firmly and clearly, NO to the U.S. military’s expansion in our islands, and YES to being a center of global peace — a Geneva of the Pacific.

Imagine Hawai’i taking the lead and embracing a Hoʻoponopono-centered approach to global peace, led by those whose ancestors came first to these lands.

Think of the message this would send around the world.

According to numerous media reports, Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll has been communicating regularly with Hawai’i Governor Josh Green. The messaging from both men is aligned along the same track: the State of Hawai’i must agree to allow the Army to continue bombing Pōhakuloa or the Army will take the land by force, via eminent domain.

The Army is threatening to take the lands at Pōhakuloa regardless of what the people of Hawai’i want. They are refusing to comply with State law HRS 343, which requires them to provide full disclosure of environmental, health, and cultural impacts that will occur.

Wow. Think about THAT headline: “TRUMP’S ARMY ATTEMPTS TO TAKE HAWAI’I LANDS BY FORCE.”

Think about the people of Hawai’i standing together and saying NO to the U.S. military.

Think about the people all over the globe who might be inspired to do the same.

This is what it means to think globally and act locally.

THIS is what should concern Trump, Hegseth, and Driscoll et al.

Gary Hooser
No titles, no presumptions, just tired of all the killing

The Hawaiʻi Island County Council Policy Committee on Environmental and Natural Resource Management voted 8 to 0 to pass the Pōhakuloa Resolution 234-25!

Resolution 234-25 states in part:

Be it resolved by the Council of the County of Hawaiʻi that it hereby urges the State of Hawaiʻi to ensure the health and safety of Hawaiʻi Island Residents by:

Requesting the U.S. military to immediately cease all bombing and desecration at PTA (Pōhakuloa). Rejecting land swaps and lease renewals unless stipulations are established to address comprehensive cleanup, restoration, and bioremediation at PTA: and

Conducting a full Ka Pa aka analysis of PTA to ensure the protection of Native Hawaiian cultural practices and resources.

Please reach out now, TODAY and give a huge MAHALO to:

Rebecca Villegas – Primary Sponsor of Res 234-25
rvillegas@hawaiicounty.gov

Council Chair Dr. Holeka Goro Inaba
holeka.inaba@hawaiicounty.gov

Jennifer “Jenn” Kagiwada
jennifer.kagiwada@hawaiicounty.gov

Dennis “Fresh” Onishi
dennis.onishi@hawaiicounty.gov

Ashley Kierkiewicz
ashley.kierkiewicz@hawaii.county.gov

Matt Kanealii-Kleinfelder
matt.kanealii-kleinfelder@hawaiicounty.gov

Michelle Galimba
michelle.galimba@hawaiicounty.gov

James E. Hustace
james.hustace@hawaiicounty.gov

Councilmember Heather Kimball was excused/absent and thus did not vote or participate in this meeting. Please reach out to encourage her to also support this Resolution during the upcoming final Council vote. heather.kimball@hawaiicounty.gov

Sending out a huge mahalo also to each and every one of the many community organizations and approximately 400 people who offered testimony in support (versus the 2 testifiers in opposition).

There will be one more Hawaiʻi Council vote on September 3 – so please continue to remain vigilant, share the news with family and friends, and encourage them to show up one more time on September 3 in Hilo!

It’s interesting that no member of the Governor’s office and no representative of the U.S. Army attended this meeting of Hawaiʻi Island County Council Policy Committee on Environmental and Natural Resource Management nor offered any testimony whatsoever on Pōhakuloa Resolution 234-25.

WUWT?

This of course is where I pivot —- Please read on…it’s important that you are fully informed.

While the Pōhakuloa lease extension and related issues are of huge importance to all Hawaiʻi, it’s in Hawaiʻi County where the rubber meets the road.

It is the people and the lands of Hawaiʻi County where the most direct impacts will be. This is where the guns are fired and the bombs exploded. It’s in this community where depleted uranium and other toxic chemicals lie buried in the dirt, sometimes blowing far and wide in the dust. This is where the fires burn at night, where valuable cultural resources are being trampled upon, and where endangered species are at risk.

And yet, at a Hawaiʻi County Council Committee meeting held specifically to discuss Pōhakuloa, neither the Army nor the Governor sends a representative to listen or to share the Army or State perspective?

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll was recently quoted in the media expounding upon his deep respect for Hawaiʻi, the Hawaiian culture, and the importance of preserving and protecting our natural environment.

He then also makes clear that the Army is having “near daily discussions with the governor’s team” with a goal of securing an agreement with the State in 60 days.

They both say they are committed to following the lawful process and ensuring the community has an opportunity to provide input.

But the truth is both the Governor and the Army have already agreed to break the law and are negotiating now on the terms of the law-breaking.

Hawaiʻi law HRS343 says any action proposed on state lands and or within conservation district lands must complete an environmental assessment and/or environmental impact statement (EIS).

The Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) has voted to reject the Army’s environmental impact statements, citing numerous flaws and inadequacies.

These lands thus cannot be legally leased to the Army until they comply with HRS343.

Governor Green did an extensive television interview on August 19th in which he said clearly that the Army intends to force the issue under the guise of national security and so the best option for the state is to negotiate a lease with the best terms possible.

Translation: The U.S. Army doesn’t give a rip about Hawaiʻi law, Hawaiian culture or lands, or what the people of Hawaiʻi County or what anyone, anywhere in Hawaiʻi has to say.

AND the Governor of the State of Hawaiʻi believing he has no other options available, is willing to break the law if the lawbreaker pays enough money to make it worthwhile.

AND neither one is particularly concerned or cares enough to even show up and engage with the community which is most impacted.

AND the Army and the Governor says we should trust them, and that we have no other choice anyway.

Trust them to use the land responsibly in any way shape or form they desire. Trust that they will clean up and repair the damage caused to the natural environment. Trust that they will honor and protect cultural artifacts and endangered species now on these lands.

Yes, trust them and I’ve got a bridge to sell you too.

An environmental impact statement (EIS) by definition is essentially a disclosure document. The purpose of an EIS is to disclose impacts of the proposed land lease, including direct impacts, indirect impacts, and cumulative impacts. Also included would normally be “proposed mitigation” of negative impacts.

The potential and likely impacts of the Army’s planned use of Pōhakuloa must be disclosed and properly analyzed prior to the State entering into any agreement.

It’s simply not possible to draft a credible, responsible, or legal land lease without the proper completion of an environmental impact statement (EIS).

We must say no to the U.S. Army, AND we must call (808) 586-0034 and encourage Governor Green to reconsider his support of fast-tracking this important decision. We must also insist that the Governor comply with State law HRS343 and the State Constitution Article XI.

Note: Article XI of our constitution says clearly “the State and its political subdivisions” which makes County government equally responsible…

Mahalo again to Hawaiʻi County for stepping up to fulfill this responsibility.

Article XI

Section 1.  For the benefit of present and future generations, the State and its political subdivisions shall conserve and protect Hawaii’s natural beauty and all natural resources, including land, water, air, minerals and energy sources, and shall promote the development and utilization of these resources in a manner consistent with their conservation and in furtherance of the self-sufficiency of the State.

All public natural resources are held in trust by the State for the benefit of the people.

Gary Hooser
Former Director Office of Environmental Quality Control (OEQC)…among other things