Friday 1/12 Meeting: Olowalu Toxic Dump Site
Testify live at the meeting on Friday 1/12 at 9am and send written testimony by Thursday 1/11 at 9am. Let the Maui County Council know that we don’t want a toxic dump site on sacred land at Olowalu.
The County of Maui, working together with FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is moving ahead with their plan to use sacred land at Olowalu as a toxic dump site. Last month, the Maui County Council voted on first reading to approve Bill 120 authorizing Maui’s mayor to enter into an agreement with the DLNR for right-of-entry use of the Olowalu land to dispose of 40,000 truckloads of toxic debris and ash from the August 2023 Lahaina fires. Only two councilmembers voted in opposition (Gabe Johnson and Nohelani U‘u-Hodgins).
This Friday, January 12th, we have another opportunity to let the Council know that we don’t want Olowalu used as a dumping ground for millions of pounds of waste containing elevated levels of arsenic, antimony, cobalt, copper, and lead, as well as unknown levels of carcinogenic dioxins. The Council will vote Friday on a second and final reading of Bill 120. Please help protect the health of our island’s people, wildlife, and ‘āina. Speak out against the temporary and permanent dump site plans at Olowalu. This is culturally and historically significant land that is an important natural resource area near a critical ocean reef.
At last week’s Maui County Council Disaster, Resilience, International Affairs, and Planning (DRIP) Committee meeting, an overflowing crowd of concerned community members testified in opposition to the Olowalu waste site plan, as government officials presented information about the proposal. A follow-up meeting took place where Mayor Richard Bissen stated his intention to move forward with the temporary site while giving his word that Olowalu would not be used as a permanent disposal site:
“As such, it is my intention to move forward and ask this Council and this committee that we utilize the temporary debris storage facility at Olowalu. With that said, I’d like to stress that you have my promise that the Olowalu site will not be used as a permanent site and that the debris will be removed from this temporary site once the permanent site is identified and built.”
Bissen declined to give an estimate as to how long the site would remain “temporary,” suggesting only that it depends on how quickly a permanent site can be built. Our concern as a community is that the plastic-lined staging area at the temporary site will be vulnerable to runoff, leaching, and contamination of the groundwater, ocean, and environment. There is no way of knowing how long this environmental hazard will escalate as the decision on a permanent site drags on.
If Bill 120 passes final reading by the Council, it will go to Mayor Bissen for approval. He’s already made it clear that he intends to approve the temporary site. We don’t want the next generation to inherit this toxic mess. Safer alternatives have not been sufficiently considered. Please speak up at Friday’s meeting.
Sample Testimony to email county.clerk@mauicounty.us by Thursday 1/11 at 9:00am:
I’m opposed to Bill 120 and do not want Olowalu used as a temporary or permanent disposal site for toxic debris and ash from the Lahaina fires. This plan could irreversibly harm the health of Maui’s people, wildlife, and environment.
Please show up at 9:00am Friday morning 1/12 at the Maui County Council Chamber in Wailuku at 200 South High Street, 8th Floor, and sign up to testify.
You can also testify online via BlueJeans: https://maui.bluejeans.com/295235670 or by phone 1-408-317-9253 meeting code 295235670.
Additional actions steps:
Sign the petition “Opposition to Olowalu as toxic waste dump site”
Contact Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen’s office: Mayors.Office@co.maui.hi.us (808) 270-7855
Contact the Maui County Councilmembers offices
Follow Eddy Garcia’s Living Earth Systems Instagram for up-to-date research and informative videos
Let’s make our voices heard and work together to protect these islands. The decisions made today will have lasting impacts on our natural environment, health, and community.
Hawai‘i Unites has taken the state to court to stop the release of bacteria-infected mosquitoes on Maui. Your donations help move our legal case forward. Mahalo for supporting the work that we’re doing to protect the ‘āina.
Aloha,
Tina Lia
Founder
Hawai‘i Unites
HawaiiUnites.org
Hawai‘i Unites is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation and protection of our environment and natural resources. Your tax-deductible donations help us to fulfill our mission of honoring and protecting our sacred connection to the natural world.
