U.S. Rep. Kaiali'i Kahele recently introduced the Leandra Wai Act to restore the Mākua Valley Military Reservation (MMR) and return it back to Hawaii.
The Army and native Hawaiians have been debating who has rightful ownership of the land for some time, according to a March 17 press release. The training site, which was used as a live-fire range until a 1998 lawsuit stopped the practice, encompasses dozens of cultural sites that are sacred to native Hawaiians, according to an article by Honolulu Civil Beat.
“I remember my dad talking about the fight to end military operations at sacred places and return wahi pana like Kahoʻolawe and Mākua valley back to the people,” Kahele said in the release. “These memories, along with the many individuals who have dedicated their lives to protecting Hawaiʻi’s sacred places, inform my actions today and that is why I am proud to introduce the Leandra Wai Act which will provide the resources necessary to remediate and restore Mākua valley.”
The legislation, if it passes, would direct the Department of Defense to create a cleanup schedule and cost estimate for the land in accordance with the State of Hawaii, according to the release. The land is currently under military control.
The Leandra Wai Act would create a Mākua Valley Conveyance, Remediation, and Environmental Restoration Trust Fund and authorize a land conveyance under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), the release stated.
The act would also require the DOD abide by CERCLA and remain liable for unexploded ordnance and other contaminants that it introduced to MMR, Kahele said.
Makua Valley is on the Leeward Coast, near the foothills of the Waianae mountains, Honolulu Civil Beat reported. Although no rounds have been fired there for years, the issue is back in the news because it represents a struggle between the military and Hawaiian activists who contend the land was essentially stolen from them.
The Army’s lease for the 6,300 acres of land on Oahu, including 760 acres in the Makua Valley, will expire in 2029, Honolulu Civil Beat reported. In the months before Kahele introduced his bill, the Army announced it is preparing an environmental impact statement and is seeking public comments for its proposed retention of the training grounds.