Kyle Kajihiro,
AFSC Hawai`i Area Program, Demilitarization Sub-Committee
2426 O'ahu Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96822
Phone: 808-988-6266; Fax: 808-988-4876; email: afsc@pixi.com
Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) will Resume Missile Launches at Nohili
and Seeks to Expand into the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands!
Recent news articles reported that the PMRF, located in Nohili, Kaua'i, will
resume missile launches as part of a Theater Missile Defense testing
program.
The sand dunes at Nohili are a traditional Kanaka Maoli burial site, and
have been classified as a "highly sensitive historical/cultural area" in the
military's own studies, which were obtained by the Hawai`i Ecumenical
Coalition. Although Kanaka Maoli have protested the desecration of these
sacred sites for many years, the military refuses to cease its acts of
cultural genocide.
The military's arrogance towards the Hawaiian community is emboldened by the
strong support they receive from U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye. In a news
release, Inouye brags about securing $230,000,000 for the PMRF facility,
"above and beyond the Department of Defense requests for the [PMRF}" over
the last four years.
It seems that one missile launch facility is not enough. The PMRF is now
seeking to install a missile launch pad on Tern Island, one of the
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands currrently designated as a U.S. Wildlife
Refuge. The island is the home to the endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal, the
endangered Green Sea Turtle, numerous oceanic plant species, and dozens of
seabirds.
A confidential source recently sent us military documents and plans for a
missile launch facility on Tern Island. Officials from PMRF have sought
permission from U.S. Fish and Wildlife service for several years to build a
facility. Until recently, U.S. Fish and Wildlife service has soundly refused
to consider the proposal because it was completely incompatible with the
wildlife designation. However, it seems that superiors in the federal
governement pressured the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service into accepting the
military's proposal "for consideration".
Desecration of Kanaka Maoli Sacred Sites at Mokapu
The U.S. Military has begun construction of a $42,000,000 housing project on
the slopes of Heiau Pu'u Hawai`i Loa on the Mokapu penninsula at Kane'ohe
Marine Corps Air Station. Heiau Pu'u Hawai`i Loa is one of the most
significant sacred sites in Hawai`i. Kamakau and others have written about
the historical and cultural significance of this site. Apparently there are
4 sites where constuction is slated. Eric says that he has already begun to
see iwi (bones) unearthed.
Contact Eric at 808-261-1814 or Tony at 808-262-8022 for more information.
Homeporting of Nuclear War Ships and Planes.
The Navy is drafting an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the
homeporting of three Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers (CVN).
They are considering four sites: San Diego, Bremerton and Everett in the
Puget Sound area, and Pearl Harbor. These are the largest warships in the
U.S. arsenal, with each capable of holding a crew of 6000. The Navy has
completed its scoping process which involved gathering public comments or
issues to be considered in their EIS. The Draft EIS will be completed
around the fall of 1997, at which time the public may submit comments during
the 45 day comment period. A final EIS is expected around spring of 1998
and will also have a public comment period.
A San Diego coalition which included the Peace Resource Center and the
Environmental Health Coalition, successfully stalled an earlier bid by the
Navy to homeport one CVN there. An EIS already exists for that proposed
project, but the Navy has refused to send copies of this report to anyone in
Hawai`i who has requested it. We have some information that was produced by
the San Diego coalition. We can send those to anyone who is interested for
the cost of copying and postage.
Altough the public comment period is over for the scoping process, they
still need to know that people in Hawai`i oppose the nuclear warships and
are watching. Add your name to the notification list and request a copy of
the San Diego EIS by contacting:
Dan Muslin (Code 03PL)
Southwest Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command
1220 Pacific Highway, San Diego, CA 92132-5190
619-532-3403
Re: the Environmental Impact Statement for Developing Homeport Facilities for
Three Nimitz-Class Aircraft Carriers
Some reasons why the nuclear warships are bad for Hawai`i include:
1. Nuclear warships pose a serious danger to the public. Defueling of spent
nuclear fuel is dangerous. An accident or mishap during defueling could
result in an explosion which would contaminate a 50 to 100 mile area as it
did in Russia several years ago. We do not know the safety record of these
ships or of the nuclear submarines already based at Pearl Harbor.
2. Expansion of U.S. fleet in Hawai`i violates Hawaiian sovereignty and the
decolonization process. From what I know, one of the firsts steps in
decolonization is the removal of the occupier's military.
3. The Navy's occupation of Pearl Harbor prevents Kanaka Maoli from
exercising their traditional and customary rights in the area, such as the
cultivation of fish and shellfish and religious practices. The Kohanaiki
(PASH) decision upheld Kanaka Maoli traditional and customary practices on
private and undeveloped lands as outlined in pre-overthrow kingdom law. Why
not on government lands? Pearl Harbor was once the center of a thriving
Hawaiian society which included 13 ahupuaya and 36 fishponds. The harbor was
also sacred to the shark aumakua.
4. The massive influx of military personnel and their families would affect
the job and housing markets. Dependents would compete with locals for jobs
and affordable housing.
5. Dredging of the channels would cause severe environmental damage to the
harbor habitat. Toxics disturbed in the process would pose a danger to
marine life and humans. Pearl Harbor was once the spawning ground for the
yanae (big mullet). With the destruction of habitat the large 'anae mullet
runs have disappeared.
6. Hawai`i is inadequately equipped to service these large CVNs. There is
not enough housing or trained personnel to service the CVNs.
7. Homeporting of CVNs in Pearl Harbor would interfere with clean up and
restoration of the harbor, which is listed as an EPA Superfund site requiring
massive clean up.
8. Military spending does not translate directly into economic benefit for
Hawai`i. Many contractors are from out of state. Much of the military
personnel payroll circulates within the military commerce system which is not
taxed by the state. Military personnel do not pay taxes for public
education.
Senator Inouye is primarily responsible for the increased number of naval
vessels homeported in Hawai`i. Additional vessels assigned to Hawai`i
include: USS Hopper (DDG-70), USS Columbia (SSN-771), USS Tucson (SSN-770),
USS Topeka (SSN-754), USS Pasadena (SSN-752), and USS Frederick (LST). Inouye
also retained three P-3 Orion aircraft squadrons by transfering them from
Barbers Point, which is being decommissioned, to the Kaneohe Bay Marine Corps
Base.