HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii’s land board rejected the Army’s environmental impact statement to retain land on the Big Island used for live-fire training, a vote some Native Hawaiian leaders say reflects a growing distrust of the U.S. military in the islands.
The state Board of Land and Natural Resources voted Friday after members considered voluminous written testimony and listened to hours of oral comments, including from many in the Native Hawaiian community citing environmental destruction and cultural desecration.
The Army calls the Pohakuloa Training Area the “premier” combat training grounds in the Pacific theater for all U.S. ground forces, including the Army, Marines, Navy and Air Force.
Board Chair Dawn Chang later called the vote “one of the hardest decisions that I have had to make.”
Chang said the decision was based on the adequacy of the environmental review and not about the merits of whether the Army should not conduct training in Hawaii. No decision has been made on the Army's long-term lease request. The Army’s lease for 23,000 acres (9,308 hectares) is set to expire in 2029.
What happens next is up to the Army, Chang said.
The Army, noting that the environmental impact statement was created with community input, said in a statement that it was observing a 30-day waiting period. After that, the Army will determine how much land it will seek to retain.
The vote was a “pleasant surprise” to activists who are concerned that military training in Hawaii harms island aquifers, sensitive wildlife and ancient Hawaiian burials, said Healani Sonoda-Pale, a Native Hawaiian activist. It was unexpected because of the military's economic stronghold on Hawaii, she said.
“Friday's vote is a real shift,” Sonoda-Pale told The Associated Press Monday. “I think the shift here happened because of the Red Hill spill. The military lost a lot of trust and respect."
In 2021, jet fuel leaked into the Navy water system serving 93,000 people on and around the Pearl Harbor base. It sickened thousands in military housing and heightened concerns about leaks at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility.
The military eventually agreed to drain the tanks, amid state orders and protests from Native Hawaiians and other Hawaii residents worried about the threat posed to Honolulu’s water supply. The tanks sit above an aquifer supplying water to 400,000 people in urban Honolulu.
“U.S. Army Hawai'i understands and deeply respects the concerns expressed by community members, cultural practitioners, and environmental advocates regarding the Army’s presence and activities at Pōhakuloa Training Area,” Lt. Col. Tim Alvarado, U.S. Army Garrison Pōhakuloa commander, said in a statement. “We recognize that past actions have caused harm and eroded trust, and we continue to seek a balance with consideration for the cultural and environmental significance of this land.”
The U.S. Army is seeking to return nearly 3,300 acres (1,335 hectares) of leased lands back to the state and retain 19,700 acres (7,972 hectares) to sustain training, the Army statement said.
Hawaii's congressional delegation issued a joint statement saying they “believe there can be a path forward that accounts for the critical importance of Hawaii’s role in our country’s national security strategy and fundamentally respects and responds to the needs of the people of Hawaii.”
In a statement, Gov. Josh Green acknowledged the rejected environmental impact statement presents challenges but doesn't end the conversation: "This is a time for collaboration, not division, as we seek balanced solutions that honor both our heritage and our future.”
FILE - In this photo released by the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force conducts an airdrop during Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center (JPMRC) at Pohakuloa Training Area, Hawaii, Nov. 4, 2023. (Spc. Abreanna Goodrich/U.S. Army via AP, File)
In this photo provided by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, people gather in an overflow area outside a state building in Honolulu, Friday, May 9, 2025, to watch a land board meeting about an environmental impact statement for an Army training site. (Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources via AP)
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 16, 2025--
Faraday Future Intelligent Electric Inc. (NASDAQ: FFAI) (“Faraday Future”, “FF” or the “Company”), a California-based global shared intelligent electric mobility ecosystem company, today shared a weekly business update from YT Jia, Founder and Co-CEO of FF.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250615190126/en/
It’s time for Issue 007 of the Weekly Investor Update. This week brings several seismic developments we’re excited to share with you.
Again, starting with S1 User Ecosystem
First, we’ve achieved another breakthrough in B2B pre-order collection for our upcoming FX model. We signed with Pinnacle Real Estate Group, the largest Chinese-American real estate brokerage in Southern California, a binding deposit agreement for 1,000 units of FX Super One, which includes a non-refundable deposit and a non-binding reservation, bringing total B2B binding deposits for the FX Super One to coverage of 3,500 non-binding pre-orders.
This establishes a global first: a “B2B2C” collaboration between an automotive company and a real estate brokerage. This is a highly innovative, asset-light sales model that is unprecedented in our industry, creating a disruptive eco-chemistry between the AIEV and real estate sectors, setting the stage for co-creation, sharing, and win-win outcomes. More collaborations with major real estate brokerages are underway to pioneer unique programs such as “Luxury Car + Luxury Home” and “Drive Home Together” (Car-and-Home Bundle Purchase). These initiatives will become a powerful user acquisition engine for FX to unlock mass market and craft blockbuster products.
This is another key innovation in our integrated model of Co-Creation Ecosystem Online Direct Sales and offline B2B sales. I will share more details in the near future.
Second, today it's finally time to announce Mariah Carey to be the next FF 91 2.0 Futurist Alliance owner. Her new car will be delivered soon. In the official music video for her newly released single Type Dangerous, both the FF 91 and FFZERO1 make a stunning appearance. I dare say, only a vehicle chosen by iconic superstars like Mariah Carey truly lives up to the name Ultimate AI TechLuxury.
This co-creation marks the formation of a virtuous cycle of high recognition and high loyalty for the FF brand, signaling our entry into a new stage of global cultural co-creation at the highest level. Buckle up, more GOAT-level celebrities and Hall of Famers may soon be joining the co-creation with FF, FX, and FX Super One, creating transformative value for the industry.
Next up, S2 to S4, Products and Technologies
We are in the middle of system integration for FX Super One’s custom-built AI software.We plan to showcase its unique capabilities at both the June 29 Private Preview & Co-Creation Event and the July 17 First Online Global Product Launch.
Moving on to S5, Capital Markets and finance
The second round of share purchase commitments by FX CEO Max, FF CFO Koti, and several other executives, totaling $60,000, has been officially approved and processed this week. Just like Jerry’s and my earlier share purchases, these transactions comply with the required cooling-off period rules for public companies. The broker will automatically process the transactions once that window closes. These insider purchases reflect management’s strong confidence in the company’s long-term value and are yet another demonstration of our core principle: “Stockholders First.”
It’s been an encouraging week for our stock performance—a sincere thank you to all our investors and retail stockholders for your ongoing support. That said, we must remain grounded. There’s still plenty of work ahead. For instance, during initial talks with certain supply chain partners, FF’s past history can sometimes make it difficult to quickly establish trust. That kind of “first impression bias” often means we have to work even harder to prove ourselves.
But, as I said at the Blue Book Forum a few days ago— once these partners take the time to understand us and engage in honest, transparent dialogue, they’ll see that we not only have a unique strategy and solid planning, but also the capability, experience, and resources to follow through on our promises. In fact, many S Tier 1 suppliers who recently visited us have told us that FF is more determined, more practical, and more relentless than they ever expected.
I want to take this moment to sincerely thank all the suppliers and partners who have put their trust in FF and FX—especially our S Tier 1 suppliers. Your confidence in us continues to be one of our greatest driving forces. We’re fully committed to creating the greatest possible value for you.
Next week promises to be another busy and challenging stretch—but also one full of opportunities. I look forward to sharing more progress next week. Talk soon!”
ABOUT FARADAY FUTURE
Faraday Future is the pioneer of the Ultimate AI Tech Luxury ultra spire market in the intelligent EV era, and the disruptor of the traditional ultra-luxury car civilization epitomized by Ferrari and Maybach. FF is not just an EV Company, but also a software-driven intelligent internet Company. Ultimately, FF aims to become a User Company by offering a shared intelligent mobility ecosystem. FF remains dedicated to advancing electric vehicle technology to meet the evolving needs and preferences of users worldwide, driven by the pursuit of intelligent and AI-driven mobility.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release includes “forward looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words “plans,” “desire,” “believes,” “seeks,” “may,” “will,” “should,” and “future,” variations of these words or similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements, which include statements regarding production capacity expansion, the FX brand, the Super One MPV, future FX models, future FX reservations, expansion into new states and markets, and production and sales goals, are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside the Company’s control, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements.
Important factors, among others, that may affect actual results or outcomes include, among others: the number of vehicles that Pinnacle Real Estate Group ultimately chooses to purchase from the Company, which may be as few as one; the ability of Pinnacle Real Estate Group to identify purchasers for the Super One; the Company’s ability to expand production facility, which will be time-consuming and costly; market demand for MPVs and MPV rentals; the Company’s ability to secure the necessary funding to execute on its AI, EREV and Faraday X (FX) strategies, each of which will be substantial; the Company’s ability to design and develop EREV technology; the Company’s ability to design and develop AI-based solutions; competition in the AI and EREV areas, where actual or potential competitors have or are likely to have substantial advantages relative to the Company, including but not limited to experience, expertise, funding, infrastructure and personnel; the ability of the Company to execute across multiple concurrent strategies, including the UAE, bridge strategy, or FX, EREV, AI, and US geographic expansion; the Company's ability to secure necessary agreements to license third-party range extender technology and/or license or produce FX vehicles in the U.S., the Middle East, or elsewhere, none of which have been secured; and the Company's ability to secure necessary permits at its Hanford, CA production facility; the potential impact of tariff policy; the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern and improve its liquidity and financial position; the Company’s ability to pay its outstanding obligations; the Company’s history of losses and expectation of continued losses; the Company’s ability to execute on its plans to develop and market its vehicles and the timing of these development programs; the Company’s estimates of the size of the markets for its vehicles and cost to bring those vehicles to market; the rate and degree of market acceptance of the Company’s vehicles; the Company’s ability to cover future warranty claims; the success of other competing manufacturers; the performance and security of the Company’s vehicles; current and potential litigation involving the Company; the Company’s ability to receive funds from, satisfy the conditions precedent of and close on the various financings described elsewhere by the Company; the result of future financing efforts, the failure of any of which could result in the Company seeking protection under the Bankruptcy Code; the Company’s indebtedness; the Company’s ability to cover future warranty claims; the Company’s ability to use its “at-the-market” program; insurance coverage; general economic and market conditions impacting demand for the Company’s products; the Company’s dependence on its suppliers and contract manufacturer; the Company's ability to develop and protect its technologies; the Company's ability to protect against cybersecurity risks; and the ability of the Company to attract and retain employees, any adverse developments in existing legal proceedings or the initiation of new legal proceedings, and volatility of the Company’s stock price. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties described in the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 31, 2025, and other documents filed by the Company from time to time with the SEC.
Mariah Carey will Become the Next FF 91 2.0 Owner
