Army sees high fire
risk at Makua

An environmental impact draft statement
considers four options for training in the area

The Army acknowledges that plans to use increased firepower in up to 50 live-fire training exercises a year at its Makua Valley training site would cause "significant and unmitigable wildfire impacts."

Details of Army training alternatives were disclosed yesterday in a draft environmental impact statement on proposed resumption of live-fire training. The Army said its preferred plan to use the range for 242 days a year would cause a higher wildfire risk in the western Oahu valley.

"We've taken the time to properly analyze all the potential impacts military training could have on the valley, and I encourage the community to provide us the feedback necessary to make the document even better," Col. Howard Killian, commander of the U.S. Army Garrison, Hawaii, said in a statement. "The Army has nothing to hide. We are being upfront with the public."

A community group said the draft statement failed to include required surveys of archaeological sites that could be damaged during training, and added it would take the matter to a federal judge if it is not resolved. The Army also broke its promise to the Waianae community to consider alternative training sites, said David Henkin, attorney for Earthjustice, which represents the community group Malama Makua.

Three public hearings on the draft statement will be held in Waianae starting Aug. 23.

The draft document is available on the Internet at www. makuaeis.com and at public libraries.

In it, the Army considers four options for using Makua Valley, ranging from no live-fire training to as many as 242 days a year of live-fire training, for which "significant and unmitigable wildfire impacts are expected."