Free Republic

HILO -- The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has wrapped up its investigation of depleted uranium at Pohakuloa Training Area and Schofield Barracks by issuing a "Notice of Violation." The notice, issued Monday, states a Security Level III violation occurred, for which the base civil penalty is $3,500. But the regulatory agency gave the Army credit because neither Schofield Barracks nor Pohakuloa has previously been the subject of "escalated enforcement action" and the Army identified the contamination and notified the NRC, the notice said. "The NRC has concluded that the Army has provided adequate information regarding the reason for the violation, the...

Below is a brief report on the public hearing held Jan. 11th at Hilo Intermediate School cafeteria on plans for military expansion at Pohakuloa. The plans call for new live-fire ranges and training, and construction activities, at Pohakuloa, as well as high altitude helicopter flights and landings on Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa in training for Afghanistan/Pakistan high altitude mountainous warfare. The first hour and a half was taken up with “open house” science fair type displays by military people who knew very little about the history of militarism in Hawaii and couldn’t answer many questions asked. But the public...

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has joined Kanaka Maoli, and other community representatives in criticizing the Army’s radiation monitoring plan for Depleted Uranium (DU) contamination at the Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA) in the center of Hawai’i Island. In an article written by Alan D. McNarie for the Big Island Weekly –”NCR to ARMY: DU Monitoring Plan Won’t Work” the NRC said: “We have concluded that the Plan will provide inconclusive results for the U.S. Army as to the potential impact of the dispersal of depleted uranium (DU) while the Pohakuloa Training Area is being utilized for aerial bombardment or...

Big Island elected officials arriving to meet with Army representatives at Pohakuloa Training Area got a eye-opening surprise Wednesday morning In addition to the usual gaggle of anti-Semites and 9-11 trooothers protesting against the military, they were greeted at the front gate by a dozen Big Island residents rallying to support the troops. According to a source inside the closed briefing, the troop supporters became the topic of conversation within the meetings over and over again. Community leaders were heard to exclaim "We had no idea that there was this much support for PTA and the military here on the...

Hawaii Gathering of Eagles is proud to support our ‘LAVA DOGS’, the 1st Battalion 3rd MARINES, deployed into Helmand Prov. AFG, from Marine Corps Base, Hawaii.