If the military does not want to clean up ceded land, it may simply choose to hold on to the land forever. In other words, so long as it remains cheaper for the military to pollute and condemn than it is for it to restore, the military will pollute and condemn and Hawai'i be damned. If the Kamaka condemnation proceedings go through, it is not far-fetched to think that the military will in the future simply opt to buy its way out of leased land and hold on to what ceded land it occupies rather than clean it up as a condition to release back to the state. The problem of unexploded ordnance has been discussed most frequently in relation to Kaho'olawe. For years, the people of Hawai'i were told that the island was vital as a military bombing range that nothing less than national security required its use.
Few people claim that today.
Indeed, the political winds have shifted to the point where the views of the Protect Kaho'olawe Ohana, once regarded as beyond the pale, have been integrated into the very warp and woof of prevailing attitudes on the subject of the island's use. PKO's insistence that the island be restored to the point that human activities can be carried out in relative safety have been endorsed by the Kaho'olawe Conveyance Commission and enshrined in the Kaho'olawe Community Plan of Maui County. In a report to the Conveyance Commission on ordnance clearance requirements, private consultants set forth a plan for removal of ordnance that would allow a range of contemplated uses. While some may regard the costs as high, it is worth noting that the Navy's own estimate of clearance costs was twice the consultants' estimate. Publicity over Kaho'olawe has helped hold the government, at long last, to the level of responsibility the public has every right to expect.