Current:Home > MarketsUS military affirms it will end live-fire training in Hawaii’s Makua Valley-InfoLens
US military affirms it will end live-fire training in Hawaii’s Makua Valley
View Date:2024-12-23 14:52:48
HONOLULU (AP) — The U.S. military has confirmed that it will permanently end live-fire training in Makua Valley on Oahu, a major win for Native Hawaiian groups and environmentalists after decades of activism.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth filed a statement with federal court in Hawaii on Friday affirming the military’s new stance that it would “no longer need to conduct live-fire training at (Makua Military Reservation), now or in the future,” Hawaii News Now reported.
Under the terms of a 2001 settlement, the military hasn’t conducted live-fire training at Makua Valley since 2004. But the court filing “removed the threat that Makua will ever again be subjected to live-fire training,” environmental nonprofit Earthjustice said in a news release.
Earthjustice has represented local activist group Malama Makua in its long-running legal dispute with the Army.
Makua Valley was the site of decades of live-fire military training. The training at times sparked wildfires that destroyed native forest habitat and sacred cultural sites, Earthjustice said.
The Makua Military Reservation spans nearly 5,000 acres. It is home to more than 40 endangered and threatened species and dozens of sacred and cultural sites, according to Earthjustice.
The military seized Makua Valley for training following the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, “evicting Hawaiians with the promise that their lands would be cleaned up and returned,” said Malama Makua board member Sparky Rodrigues. “Almost 80 years later, we’re still waiting. Ending live-fire training is an important first step in undoing the wrongs of the past and restoring Makua — which means ‘parents’ in Hawaiian.”
Friday’s court filing came 25 years after Malama Makua sued the Army to compel compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act. The law requires federal agencies to assess the environmental impacts of proposed federal actions.
In 2018, the Army agreed to restore access to cultural sites in the valley.
The state’s lease to the Army for its use of Makua Valley expires in 2029.
veryGood! (1324)
Related
- Cleveland Browns’ Hakeem Adeniji Shares Stillbirth of Baby Boy Days Before Due Date
- If you think Airbnb, Vrbo are cheaper than hotels, you might want to think again!
- U.S. MQ-9 Drone shot down off the coast of Yemen
- Mexico City prosecutors accused of asking for phone records of prominent politicians
- Advocates Expect Maryland to Drive Climate Action When Trump Returns to Washington
- New Mexico energy regulator who led crackdown on methane pollution is leaving her post
- At least 6 infants stricken in salmonella outbreak linked to dog and cat food
- Portugal’s president dissolves parliament and calls an early election after prime minister quit
- US inflation may have picked up in October after months of easing
- A Belarusian dissident novelist’s father is jailed for two weeks for reposting an article
Ranking
- 25 monkeys caught but more still missing after escape from research facility in SC
- Former New Mexico State players charged with sex crimes in locker-room hazing case
- France blames Russia for a digital effort to whip up online controversy over Stars of David graffiti
- AP Week in Pictures: Europe and Africa
- Martin Scorsese on faith in filmmaking, ‘The Saints’ and what his next movie might be
- Prue Leith Serves Up Sizzling Details About Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds' Baking Show Visit
- Oakland A’s fans are sending MLB owners ‘Stay In Oakland’ boxes as Las Vegas vote nears
- Texas judge rules against GOP lawsuit seeking to toss 2022 election result in Houston area
Recommendation
-
Charles Hanover: Caution, Bitcoin May Be Entering a Downward Trend!
-
Judge rules Willow oil project in Alaska's Arctic can proceed
-
Texas judge rules against GOP lawsuit seeking to toss 2022 election result in Houston area
-
AJ McLean Reveals Where He and Wife Rochelle Stand 8 Months After Announcing Separation
-
Mike Tyson concedes the role of villain to young foe in 58-year-old’s fight with Jake Paul
-
Sen. Joe Manchin says he won't run for reelection to Senate in 2024
-
China denies accusations of forced assimilation and curbs on religious freedom in Tibet
-
Former Arizona senator reports being molested while running in Iowa