“The Office of Hawaiian Affairs supports the Board of Land and Natural Resources’ decision to reject the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the proposed long-term retention of state lands on the island of Oʻahu.
This decision affirms the concerns raised by Native Hawaiians, environmental experts, and cultural practitioners throughout the public process. The FEIS failed to adequately disclose the cultural and environmental impacts of the Army’s continued use and retention of lands that are not merely “state lands,” but part of the Crown and Government Lands of the Hawaiian Kingdom—taken without consent after the illegal overthrow and now held in trust by the State and OHA for the benefit of Native Hawaiians and the public. These trust lands carry profound historical and cultural significance for Native Hawaiians, requiring that any future decisions be guided by transparency and the fiduciary obligations owed to them and to the people of Hawaiʻi.
As the U.S. Army, the State, and Hawaiʻi’s Congressional Delegation consider next steps, OHA remains steadfast in its mission to protect Native Hawaiian rights and to ensure that decisions regarding these lands honor the State’s trust responsibilities and the unrelinquished claims of the Hawaiian people. The public trust demands vigilance—not silence or political convenience—and the kuleana to protect our ancestral lands belongs to all of us.”
– Kaialiʻi Kahele, OHA Hawaiʻi Island Trustee | Board Chairperson
