Exposing the Lyman Legacy of Greed: Blocking Pohoiki Road to Profit from Geothermal Desecration – #EndTheDesecration NOW!

Aloha ohana – the winds of Puna carry not just the scent of rain on lava, but the toxic air that we all have to live in due to foriegn exploitation, the bitter cry of betrayal from our 'āina. In the fierce spirit of aoha 'āina – and Kapu Aloha--- that unbreakable love demanding justice for the land that bleeds under corporate greed – we uncover the Lyman family's role in Kapoho's ongoing suffering. This is no tale of stewardship; it's a stark exposure of corruption, where profit trumps people, and geothermal leases choke the life from lower Puna. For seven years since Pele's 2018 fury buried our roads, families remain isolated, homes cut off, and access denied – all while the Lymans cling to their gains.

#EndTheDesecration– enough harm! Justice demands we shut it down, restore our paths, and hold the greedy accountable! There is no advocating and raising awareness for geothermal in Hawaii without uncovering ALL aspects .

Missionary Roots Twisted into Corporate Chains: The Lyman Grip on Kapoho

It began in 1832 with David Belden Lyman and Sarah sailing from New England to Hilo, building a mission house now the Lyman Museum – a symbol of faith turned facade. Generations later, in Kapoho's steaming valleys, descendants like Richard Jewell Kaheiokalani Lyman Sr. (1872–1954) and "Papa" Lyman Jr. claimed vast kuleana over 12,000 acres of *wahi pana*, sacred springs where ancestors honored Pele.

In 1948, they formed Kapoho Land and Development Co., Ltd. (KLDC), with Richard J. Lyman Jr. as president. Subdivisions like Leilani Estates sprouted, but beneath lay a darker pulse: geothermal veins ripe for drilling. The Lymans first started drilling pre 1960 in Kapoho , and most of the information has been scrubbed from the internet regarding that and the proceeding Kapoho eruption. Fast forward to the late 1970's early 80's, they then leased to Puna Geothermal Venture (PGV), which is now Ormat's toxic empire, piercing Pele's domain for Toxic leaks, sulfide fumes, erasure of customary practices , induced quakes – all enabled by Lyman leases, desecrating healing ponds and violating *kapu*.

From Lava Flows to Locked Gates: The Road to Nowhere

Pele's 2018 eruption was a warning – lava swallowing Kapoho, burying Pohoiki Road under walls of 'a'ā, isolating ohana, farms, and the boat ramp at Isaac Hale. Highways 132 and 137 severed, lower Puna fractured. Yet recovery stalls, not just from lava, but Lyman obstruction.

KLDC manager A. Lono Lyman blocks restoration of Pohoiki Road, refusing to yield less than an acre for widening. The county offered $24,000; Lyman demanded more, arguing the land's geothermal leases generate "considerable income" far beyond any sale. In court filings, he claims the parcels – tied to PGV subleases nearby – are cash cows, worth far more leased than sold for community recovery.

Eminent domain battles rage into 2025, with settlement talks dragging while Puna suffers.

This isn't oversight; it's deliberate. Lyman, ex-county planning director, fights tooth and nail, citing "legal concerns" while admitting "funding is not an issue" . His parcels surround PGV – the very plant spewing harm on sacred soil. By blocking the road, he keeps lower Puna isolated: fewer people, less scrutiny, more room for Ormat's illegal expansions – flaring without permits, dodging cultural assessments, inducing shakes on volatile land.

2025: Cries Unheard, Desecration Unchecked

August 2025 – Puna's voices roar at Pahoa meetings: health crises from emissions, noise torment, water poisoned. Kūpuna in Leilani Estates demand justice for erased wahi pana. Lawsuits such as the unprecedented 2024 hawaii geothermal injunction expose PGV's "Repower" scams – more wells, same violations, no permits.

Ormat operates illegally on Lyman land, yet KLDC renews leases, profiting from Pele's pain.

Lymans: Your *kuleana* is betrayal. You prioritize geothermal royalties over ohana access, keeping roads closed to discourage return, expand desecration unchecked. No roads mean no witnesses to flares, leaks, or Pele's rage ignored. This is corruption – missionary heirs turned gatekeepers of suffering.

Kiai Call: #EndTheDesecration – Shut It Down, Open the Roads!

'A'ole* to compromise! #EndTheDesecration means: Terminate PGV leases NOW. Evict Ormat for illegal ops. Lymans, surrender the land for Pohoiki Road – no more delays for your "income." Demand full investigations: toxins, permits, seismicity. Restore wahi pana, compensate displaced ohana, fund community-led healing.

Pele spoke in 2018; we echo her. Rally at courts, meetings – amplify kūpuna like Sara Steiner fighting for EA . Boycott enablers, petition for shutdown. Justice is due: Heal the 'āina, reopen paths, end the greed strangling Puna.

E kūpa'a kākou! Stand firm, ohana. Share your blocked-road stories . Share your PGV poisoning stories. Together, we force the end. A hui hou in victory.

Mining lease here --->

"This agreement is a supplement to an existing geothermal resources mining lease between the State of Hawaii and Kapoho Land Partnership. It updates the legal description of the leased property by replacing the original Exhibit A with a new, more accurate survey. All other terms of the original lease remain unchanged and in effect. The supplement is executed by both parties and approved by the State of Hawaii's Board of Land and Natural Resources."

In righteous fury,

Puna ʻĀina Kiai

KAHUPUNA

Aloha Activism

LERZ Puna News Weekly

Sources: Court docs, Hawaii Tribune-Herald reports, community testimonies – truth in transparency.