{"id":1615,"date":"2026-06-20T07:34:57","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T07:34:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1615"},"modified":"2026-06-20T07:34:57","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T07:34:57","slug":"new-legislation-directs-military-to-strike-new-lease-deals-on-state-lands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1615","title":{"rendered":"New legislation directs military to strike new lease deals on state lands"},"content":{"rendered":"
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (HawaiiNewsNow) – The Senate Armed Services Committee has approved a measure that includes negotiations to renew leases of state land for the Pohakuloa and Kahuku training areas.<\/p>\n

Read more Police warn of rising gas thefts on Kauai<\/a><\/p>\n

The Army has had the legal right to seize the lands, which it began leasing more than 60 years ago for $1. Those leases expire in 2029.<\/p>\n

Buried in the nearly 1,600-page National Defense Authorization Act is a section instructing the Army to pursue lease renewals for the nearly 20,000 acres of state land at Hawaii\u2019s Pohakuloa Training Area and 450 acres at Oahu\u2019s Kahuku Training Area.<\/p>\n

It does not mention condemning or seizing the land.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u201cCondemnation of any type, whether it\u2019s forcible condemnation or friendly condemnation, was not something the United States Senate would entertain in this very important bill,\u201d said Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board Chair Kai Kahele.<\/p>\n

OHA has been pushing the Army Secretary for a negotiated lease, and so has Hawaii\u2019s congressional delegation on Capitol Hill.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would just like to hear from you that you\u2019d like to avoid that outcome of adverse condemnation,\u201d Sen. Brian Schatz said to Army Secretary Dan Driscoll at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing in May.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to come to the most fair resolution as quickly as possible so that we can maintain the relationship with the community and have this national security asset,\u201d Driscoll replied.<\/p>\n

Read more World Cup fans in Hawaii celebrate Team USA\u2019s 2-0 win over Australia<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cKeeping the lands in our inventory is vital. And if that means a lease, a shorter term lease, a lease with conditions, a lease with fair market value in rent that the Army pays — then that\u2019s something that we would consider,\u201d Kahele told HNN.<\/p>\n

In May 2025, the state Board of Land and Natural Resources rejected the Army\u2019s final environmental impact statement on the Pohakuloa Training Center, a decision that was celebrated by many, especially Native Hawaiians. The new federal legislation instructs the Army to resubmit a new EIS to address concerns raised by the BLNR.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt needs to take a much deeper look at culture concerns, historic preservation concerns, it needs completed biological opinions so that we can understand what the threats may be to endangered species and habitat,\u201d said Wayne Tanaka, director of the Sierra Club of Hawaii.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis requirement makes clear that the Army should not consider itself above Hawaii\u2019s bedrock environmental review laws, which apparently it thought it was when it submitted such shoddy environmental impact statements for those leases last year,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Gov. Josh Green is out of the state, but his office released a statement, calling the legislation \u201ca positive step forward. The committee language directs the Army to work with the state of Hawai\u02bbi on future lease discussions, address environmental concerns, and report its progress to Congress. We look forward to continued engagement as this process moves forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Police investigate death of 8-year-old Hawaii Island girl with severe injuries<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The National Defense Authorization Act moves away from military action to seize the lands at the Pohakuloa and Kahuku training areas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1614,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nNew legislation directs military to strike new lease deals on state lands - Hawaii Moving Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1615\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New legislation directs military to strike new lease deals on state lands - 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