The Army plans to bar the public from meetings of the new Pohakuloa Civilian Advisory Group.

Please call for open meetings , and for members be chosen by Hawai’i County Council.

Addresses are for County, State, and Federal elected officials for Hawai’i Island.

Congresspeople (except Rep. Abercrombie) can only be e-mailed via Web addresses, if you have time:

http://www.senate. gov/~inouye/ abtform.html

http://akaka. senate.gov/ public/index. cfm?FuseAction= Contact.Home

http://hirono. house.gov/ email_me. shtml

Mahalo, Cory

TO

cohmayor@co. hawaii.hi. us,

bfordco.hawaii. hi.us,

shigaco.hawaii. hi.us,

phoffmann@co. hawaii.hi. us,

dikedaco.hawaii. hi.us,

jjacoco.hawaii. hi.us,

enaeoleco.hawaii. hi.us,

kapilago@co. hawaii.hi. us,

dyagongco.hawaii. hi.us,

jyoshimoto@co. hawaii.hi. us,

Governor.Lingle@ hawaii.gov,

repchang@capitol. hawaii.gov,

repevans@capitol. hawaii.gov,

repgreen@capitol. hawaii.gov,

rephanohano@ capitol.hawaii. gov,

repherkes@capitol. hawaii.gov,

reptakamine@ capitol.hawaii. gov,

reptsuji@capitol. hawaii.gov,

seninouye@capitol. hawaii.gov,

senkokubun@capitol. hawaii.gov,

neil.abercrombie@ mail.house. gov

SUBJECT

Open meetings for Pohakuloa Civilian Advisory Group

SAMPLE LETTER

Dear lawmakers--I support open meetings of the Pohakuloa Civilian Advisory Group, and choosing of members by Hawai’i County Council, as stated in this Sierra Club letter.

Aloha Pohakuloa Commander Richardson,

We commend your action to set up a Civilian Advisory Group for Pohakuloa. However, we are concerned by plans to exclude the public from meetings. We urge that meetings be open to the public, for several reasons:

1 - Excluding the public may be a legal violation.

2 - Attendance and statements by the public are encouraged by countless government agencies, boards, and commissions to increase credibility, accountability, and transparency. .

3 - Communication between the public and the military is vital as military forces, and impacts, increase in Hawai’i. Army Strykers, plus plans for up to 4000 more soldiers, will cause severe erosion, land cratering, fire risk, and impacts on sensitive species and native Hawaiian cultural sites. Navy Hawai’i Range Complex and Rimpac actions will subject marine amimals to harmful noise, and will drop missile debris on Papahanaumokuakea. Concerns abut Strykers led citizens to turn out by the hundreds at hearings. Concerns about depleted uranium led Hawai’i County Council to call for a half to live-fire and bombing practice at Pohakuloa till hazards are addressed.

We also recommend that the Army ask each Hawai’i County Council member appoint one member to the group, so all parts of the island are represented fairly and equally.

Again, we urge that the group meetings be open to the public. Mahalo.