U.S. Army releases final environmental impact statement for Pōhakuloa Training Area

With four years left before the U.S. Army’s 65-year lease ends on state-owned land in the Pōhakuloa region of Hawai‘i Island, military officials hope to retain most of the acreage in a new land agreement with the state.

On Friday, the U.S. Army released its final environmental impact statement on approximately 22,750 acres to support continued military operations and exercises at Pōhakuloa Training Area.

Located between Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea and Hualālai, Pōhakuloa collectively makes up 132,000 acres and is located at just over 6,000 feet above sea level along the Saddle Road region. The training area is the largest contiguous live-fire range and maneuver training area in the state, Army officials said.

The Army leased the land in 1964 for a mere $1. As the 65-year lease is set to expire in August 2029, military officials say the land is considered a premier military training center in the Pacific region because it is the only site where battalions and brigades, encompassing hundreds to thousands of soldiers, can come for live-fire training all at once.

“Loss of this land would impact the ability of the Army to meet training requirements and its mission of readiness,” Army officials said. “The Proposed Action is a real estate action that would enable continuation of ongoing activities. It does not include construction or changes in ongoing activities.”

The land, classified as a subalpine dryland forest, is home to various endemic plants and animals, including the endangered Hawaiian nēnē goose and hoary bat.

The statement evaluated the potential direct, indirect and cumulative impacts of the army’s use of the land and provided a range of alternatives for the amount of land needed, from the 22,750 acres it currently leases to no action. The preferred alternative is using a scaled down 19,700 acres.

The Army will observe a 30-day waiting period before deciding how much land, if any, it will seek to retain. The waiting period for the final environmental impact statement will end 30 days after publication of the Notice of Availability in the Federal Register.

After the waiting period, the state will make its acceptability determination on the final statement. If the lease is renewed, Army officials say any monetary amounts are determined after the Record of Decision.

The Army will need to appraise the land it uses.

“While preliminary, rough order-of-magnitude appraisals have been completed for planning purposes; tract appraisals will need to be prepared closer to acquisition for each tract to establish fair market value,” stated officials from the Army Training Land Retention Office on O‘ahu.

The state will follow its process to procure independent appraisals as well during negotiations, Pascual added.

The Army published its first draft environmental impact statement in April 2022. In response to comments received from agencies and the public, the army published a second draft in April 2024.

All comments received on the second draft were reviewed and considered in preparing the final statement.

The Army distributed the environmental impact statement to Native Hawaiian organizations, federal, state and local agencies and officials, other stakeholders and local libraries.

Click here to review all drafts and documents.

Division heads within the Department of Land and Natural Resources all provided comment on the drafts.

According to the Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands, the proposed use of land is inconsistent with the Conservation District and state land use policy. It stated that the no action alternative would provide the best benefits to the land, cultural resources and traditional Hawaiian practices.

“The incompatibility of military training with the cultural and traditional practices of the Hawaiian people, malama ‘aina, and potentially with Hawai’i State law are unresolved issues and should be stated in the EIS with improved information regarding resolution prior to commencement or what overriding reasons there are for proceeding without resolution,” said the written testimony from the Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands.

The Division of Forestry and Wildlife, in its testimony, said it preferred alternatives where the Army retained minimal or reduced tracts of land to allow for better public and resource management access.

In its testimony, the division states there is a need for increased public hunting, enhanced fire suppression capabilities, and protection of threatened and endangered species.

The division also notes that all lands excluded from the lease renewal must be swept for unexploded ordnance and other hazardous materials before returning to the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

According to testimony on the second draft, the Sierra Club Hawai‘i Island Group, a nonprofit dedidated to conservation, stated the Army treats the application to retain lands for the Pōhakuloa Training Area as a “real estate transaction.”

Since the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom and the establishment of statehood, the group states the land in question remains Hawaiian land held “in trust” for the benefit of native Hawaiians and the general public.

“While we favor the No Action Alternative, we find that the Army has, to date, failed to comply with previously designated DLNR conditions with regard to waste cleanup, removal of hazards, and public health and safety with regard to toxicants dispersed in wind off-site,” the nonprofit stated.

“We ask that the Army initiate and fully fund the clean-up and removal of toxicants, hazards and unexploded ordnance immediately, prior to the expiration of the lease in 2029.”