Håfa adai,
As we’ve discussed recently, right now, ~29 nations and over 25,000 personnel are convening for RIMPAC, shooting off real bullets, missiles, bombs, and other ordnance. In Guåhan, DOD is proposing the “Guam Flight Test,” during which they plan to intentionally leave missiles and other debris in the ocean. While DOD continues to commit violence against lands and waters at live-fire and bombing ranges throughout the country, DOD has yet to completely deal with its existing destructive and polluting legacy: unexploded ordnance (UXO).
UXO are military munitions that have been fired as part of training or testing but did not explode. They include bombs, rockets, mortars, land mines, grenades, missiles, torpedoes, flares, and other explosives and propellants. UXO is a problem that affects lands, waters, and communities throughout the country, but are disproportionately found on Indigenous lands. UXO are extremely dangerous and can still detonate, no matter how old or damaged they appear. While some UXO are large and easily identifiable, others are small and anyone could accidently disturb them and set them off without even seeing them. UXO can contaminate soils and waters with residues, such as explosives, heavy metals, and depleted uranium. Under CERCLA and other federal laws and regulations, DOD is required to cleanup former military sites polluted with UXO and other munitions. Unfortunately, “clean up” looks like intentionally blowing up these bombs in place into the open air, further destroying the environment and releasing dangerous toxins. DOD anticipates existing cleanup of former ranges will not be complete until 2100; this does not account for ongoing activities, like RIMPAC.
What you can do:
Share: Share our post on Instagram or Facebook.
Donate: Ensure that WPLC and the organizations we mention below can continue this work by supporting our work. https://www.waterprotectorlegal.org/donate Thank you for your continued support of our work! You make this work possible.
Aloha Kahoʻolawe is a campaign to continue restoration of and access to Kahoʻolawe. It invites participation through donations, memberships, partnerships and legislative support. By building consensus that there is value in the historical, cultural, ecological and community building resources shared through the Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve, we aim to demonstrate a greater need for investment by the State. Your support contributes directly to the sustainability of KIRC programs, which are dedicated to the rebirth, restoration and flourishing of Kanaloa Kahoʻolawe and its surrounding waters for generations to come. To learn more about the Aloha Kahoʻolawe Legislative Campaign, click here. Donate: https://kahoolawe.hawaii.gov/donations.shtml
Continue to educate ourselves and our communities. Some suggested resources:
Watch:
Hawaii News Now, “Reclaiming Kahoolawe - History,” YouTube (2018)
Listen:
HeartofAllOHP, “Episode 4 Part 2 - Bombing Range segment,” SoundCloud (2023).
Read:
William C. Meadows, “On Dangerous Ground: Oglala Lakota Land Used as a Bombing Range in World War II is Still Perilous,” Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (2023)
Rob Perez, “The Military Pledged to Remove Unexploded Bombs From This Island. Native Hawaiians Are Still Waiting.” ProPublica (Nov. 26, 2022)
Ken Rutherford, “The Deadly Legacy of World War II in Alaska,” The James Madison University Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction (2022).
Wildred Chan, “‘I thought they’d kill us’: how the US navy devastated a tiny Puerto Rican island,” the Guardian (2023).
On a lighter note, I’d like to thank you for continuing to read these emails and posts and supporting our work! Last friday, I swore into the Guam Bar Association and officially became a lawyer!! I’m excited for how being licensed will allow me to continue to help our lands, waters, and peoples.
In Solidarity,
Kyra Blas, Esq.
WPLC Legal Fellow
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