After 25 years of community advocacy, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Army declare Mākua safe from future use of mortars, artillery, and other live-fire training

After decades of advocacy, the Secretary of Defense announced that live-fire training will never happen at the Mākua Military Reservation again.

Mālama Mākua and Defendants Sec. of Defense and Sec of the U.S. Army, re defendants’ recent decision that they no longer need to conduct live-fire training at Mākua Military Reservation (MMR), now or in the future, and, therefore, no new unexploded ordnance (UXO) will be added to MMR.

On November 7, 2016, Plaintiff Malama Makua filed a complaint alleging that Defendants violated paragraph 8(a) and (b) and paragraph 13 of the Settlement Agreement and Stipulated Order in Malama Makua v. Rumsfeld, Civ. No. 00 -00813 SOM LEK (D. Haw. Oct. 4, 2001) (“2001 Settlement”).

Mālama Mākua, represented by Earthjustice, is taking the U.S. Army back to court for violating cultural access rights to sacred sites at Mākua Military Reservation on Oʻahu. The reservation contains 100 sites eligible for listing on the national historic register, including Hawaiian temples, shrines, petroglyphs and other historical and cultural sites.

The Army’s two-and-a-half year ban on access to cultural sites at Mākua Military Reservation on O‘ahu violates a 2001 court-ordered settlement

Army ordered to report on progress in studying marine contamination, threats to cultural sites

Community deprived of vital information about food safety because army failed to test species that local families actually eat

The Army’s announcement in January that it is abandoning plans to resume the most destructive type of live-fire training at Makua Military Reservation on O‘ahu represents a major step forward in Earthjustice’s longstanding effort to protect Makua’s unique biological and cultural treasures. Makua, which means “parents” in Hawaiian, is home to more than 40 federally…

Army’s marine contamination study flawed, archaeological survey incomplete

Marine contamination, cultural sites at Makua at stake

Earthjustice attorney to tell U.N. about military’s impact

In October 2001, Earthjustice reached a settlement agreement with the U.S. Army that requires the Army to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for its proposed resumption of live-fire training at Mākua Military Reservation (MMR) on Oahu, a culturally and ecologically important area, with scores of Hawaiian cultural sites and nearly fifty endangered plants and…

Asks District in Hawai‘i to set aside the Army’s environmental impact statement (EIS) for proposed military training at Makua Military Reservation because the Army failed to prepare key contamination studies and archaeological surveys.

Malama Makua seeks ban on live-fire training until required studies completed

Clarifying order on the U.S. Army’s duty to provide access to Makua holy sites

Army ordered to involve public, focus on increasing access to sacred sites at Makua

Stryker Brigade to push training to Makua?