(Tribune News Service) — The state Board of Land and Natural Resources voted Friday to reject the Army’s Final Environmental Impact Statement on its proposal to renew its lease on state owned land on on Hawaii island that makes up its Pohakuloa Training Area.

The vote came after a day of public testimony from residents across the islands, some who showed up in person and others who spoke over a Zoom teleconference. Those who testified overwhelmingly called on the BLNR to reject the EIS, citing wide-ranging concerns about gaps on environmental impacts, efforts to protect Native Hawaiian traditional burial sites and other issues they had with the document—as well as with the military use of the area as a whole.

The board ultimately decided that, along with several other data gaps, warranted rejecting the EIS. In the board’s motion, its members also called on the Army to submit additional updated information to the board.

“I’ve been on the board for a little over two years. This is probably the hardest decision that I know, that I’ve had to make, ” said BLNR chair Dawn Chang before the vote. “You know, it’s always hard to deal in our trying to find balance. Our mission is to preserve and protect cultural and natural resources, but also recognizing that we have other competing interests, including national defense.”

The ruling is a setback for the Army, but does not end its efforts to retain training land after its leases expire in 2029.

In a statement released Friday evening the Department of Land and Natural Resources said, “An EIS is intended to support informed decision-making and does not, by itself, authorize any land use. No decision has been made on the Army’s long-term lease request. A separate review and determination will be required should such a request be brought before the board in the future.”

Situated between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, PTA is the military’s largest contiguous live-fire range and maneuver training area in the islands. The state parcel of 22,750 acres sits between two federally owned pieces of land, collectively making up 132,000 acres. Army officials call the leased land “the connective tissue ” of PTA. In recent years, PTA has become central to the Army’s new Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center, a series of training ranges in Hawaii and Alaska aimed at preparing soldiers for operations in the Pacific amid tensions with China.

Hawaii island resident Ana Kahoopii testified to the BLNR that she lives downind of PTA, saying that “we lost our pastoral lots during the last wildfire that was started at PTA, so we can’t keep cattle on our property anymore. The largest island aquifer also lies between PTA. It’s unprotected. The desecration of very own cultural sites, preparation for war with China, isn’t protecting us. It’s actually making us a target of retaliation.”

“The land can’t be restored and destroyed, ” said Alihilani Katoa, a member of thr group Hui Aloha Aina, who spoke of how native birds were being harmed. “The EIS also notes that 38 bird species were observed, but only five native birds were detected on state lands. This is not proof of proactive management, as the Army claims, it’s a warning. A warning that we are failing to preserve our native avifauna, many of which are culturally sacred and ecologically critical.”

Many of the testimonies drew upon concerns raised by agencies under the state DNLR itself, which have been critical of previous drafts of the EIS and called them incomplete. Among concerns DLNR raised were that they considered much of the data in the EIS outdated—the most recent biological survey it cited was from 2013. The Army is working on new environmental surveys expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

The Army, which obtained the parcel at PTA and other lands it uses for training for a mere $1 in 1964, has faced increasing scrutiny of the effects of training on the environment and ancient Hawaiian cultural sites. The state now considers its parcel at Pohakuloa to be a conservation district and DLNR has said that military use of the land is “not consistent ” with that designation.

The Army has argued that the state’s designation of the land as a conservation district did not apply to its operations, as the military already had the lease and had been training since before the designation, essentially grandfathering it in. But the final EIS seemingly concedes that under a new lease, that would not be the case.

“U.S. Army Hawaii understands and deeply respects the concerns expressed by community members, cultural practitioners, and environmental advocates regarding the Army’s presence and activities at Pohakuloa Training Area, ” said Lt. Col. Tim Alvarado, the officer who oversees operations at PTA. “We recognize that past actions have caused harm and eroded trust, and we continue to seek a balance with consideration for the cultural and environmental significance of this land.”

A small handful of people testified in support of approving the EIS. Matthew Chalker, a Waikoloa Village resident and self-described wildfire safety advocate said that he believed the EIS was thorough and that and argued that firefighting facilities at PTA have been critical in protecting his community and training other firefighters across the state.

Riley Smith, who represents Hawaii island on the BLNR, opposed the motion to reject the EIS and argued that he believed the Army had acted in good faith to provide the best data it could. BLNR at-large member Vernon Char, who abstained from the vote, said he believed the public testimony “was very one-sided. It was very well planned and very emotional … many of the statements made today in opposition were very sincere, But some of it, I thought, was misdirected, and maybe not really relevant to the issue of whether the EIS should be accepted as having positioned everything, subject to negotiation.”

In a statement Friday night, Gov. Josh Green said, “I respect the Board’s decision and the community voices that guide it. Military members who utilize this area to train for local and national security and emergency missions are our neighbors, our children’s classmates, and often our own ohana. While the rejection of the Final EIS presents challenges, it is not the end of the conversation. We remain committed to finding new paths that protect Hawaii’s natural and cultural resources while supporting national security. This is a time for collaboration, not division, as we seek balanced solutions that honor both our heritage and our future.”

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