[CPEO-MEF] Army agrees to formal review of Makua Valley

[CPEO Moderator <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

Hawai'i
HONOLULU ADVERTISER
Army agrees to formal review of Makua Valley
By William Cole
Posted on: Thursday, July 31, 2003

The Army said late yesterday it has agreed to a formal assessment of
last week's fire in Makua Valley for the purpose of protection of
threatened and endangered species — a step that could halt live-fire
training for several months this fall.

A letter from garrison commander Col. David Anderson was to be faxed to
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service yesterday evening requesting the
assessment, Army officials said.

The assessment would be a re-examination of a 1999 opinion from Fish and
Wildlife looking at habitat protection.

The Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund last week notified the Army that a
reassessment of the effect of Army training on endangered species and
critical habitat — habitat needed for a species' survival — at Makua was
required under the Endangered Species Act following a controlled burn in
the 4,190-acre valley that got out of control.

Whipped by winds, the fire scorched 2,500 acres in the valley many
Hawaiians consider sacred, and raised anew criticism of the Army's more
than 50-year use of the land for training.

This article can be viewed at:
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/Jul/31/ln/ln02a.html

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