Reference News website reported on May 14th according to the Associated Press report on May 12th, the Hawaii Land Commission refused to accept the U.S. Army's environmental impact statement, which aimed to retain land on the Big Island for live-fire training. Some Hawaiian native leaders said that this vote reflected increasing distrust of the U.S. military among local residents on these islands.
The Hawaii State Land and Natural Resources Commission voted on May 9th. Prior to the vote, the commission reviewed a large amount of written testimony and listened to hours of oral opinions, including many from the Hawaiian native community regarding environmental destruction and cultural desecration.
The U.S. Army stated that the Poahaku Long Training Base is the "primary" combat training ground for all U.S. ground forces in the Pacific theater.
Tang Zhang, chairman of the Hawaii State Land and Natural Resources Commission, said that this decision was based on whether the environmental review was adequate, rather than about the pros and cons of the Army's training in Hawaii. Currently, Hawaii has not made a decision on the Army's long-term lease request. The lease for 23,000 acres (approximately 9,308 hectares) of land on the island will expire in 2029.
A Hawaiian native activist said: "The vote on May 9th represents a real shift. I think the reason for the shift is the Red Hill fuel storage leak incident in 2021. The military lost trust and respect from many people."
Colonel Tim Alvarado, commander of the Poahaku Long Training Base, stated in a press release: "We recognize that past actions have caused harm and eroded trust. We will continue to seek balance by taking into account the cultural and environmental significance of this land."
The Army statement said that the U.S. Army is seeking to return nearly 3,300 acres of leased land to the state and retain 19,700 acres of land for maintaining training. (Compiled/Translated by Feng Xue)
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7504138686498505250/
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