Hawaii Split Over Missile Launch : Defense: Some residents join environmentalists in opposing the ‘Star Wars’ test near an ancient burial site. Others see economic benefit.

A controversial “Star Wars” test, blocked for years by protests, lawsuits and even a hurricane, may take place as early as this week when missiles are launched from a dramatic, wind-swept beach on the island of Kauai.

Opponents are holding a weekend vigil and plan to occupy part of the Nohili Dunes--an ancient Hawaiian burial site--to try to stop the launch, which could come as early as Monday. Although a state judge last week turned down their request for an injunction to halt the test, an unexpected champion has taken up their cause--Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.).

Concerned that the Strategic Target System (STARS) missile project may be an outmoded boondoggle, Conyers last week called on the Pentagon to halt it while an investigation is completed.

“To date, this program has cost taxpayers $210 million without any commensurate benefit,” Conyers, chairman of the Government Operations Committee, wrote to Defense Secretary Les Aspin. “The STARS project very possibly may have been simply overtaken by events.”

The government says the test is a crucial component of the Strategic Defense Initiative, commonly known as “Star Wars.”

Designed to mimic the dispersal of multiple Soviet warheads, the STARS project would fire unarmed, refurbished Polaris missiles from the Barking Sands Pacific Missile Range, on Kauai’s southwest coast, toward Kwajalein Atoll, more than 2,000 miles away. The three-stage, guided missiles would carry targets, allowing the military to test and develop its tracking capabilities.

The first launch is scheduled for any time between Monday and March 4. The Army is required to give only three hours’ notice to clear the “ground hazard area,” an arc 10,000 feet in diameter that encompasses part of the military base and half of Polihale State Park. Polihale, Hawaii’s longest continuous white sand beach, attracts nearly half a million visitors a year.

The remains of ancient Hawaiians are buried in the rolling dunes around the launch pad. Some contemporary Hawaiians consider the site sacred and object to the use of land that is supposed to be held by the state in trust for Native Hawaiians. They have joined with environmentalists, who are worried about toxic emissions and the impact of a failed launch on people and wildlife, including humpback whales.

“The risks of rushing forward with these experimental and controversial launches are great,” said Denise Antolini, attorney for the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund, which has been fighting the project since 1990 and has appealed the case to the state Supreme Court. “These missiles are bigger and more dangerous than anything tried there before.”

Missiles are routinely shot from the Barking Sands Range, but none has required evacuation of a hazard area. The Army contends the STARS rockets will be in the same league as the previous launches. Its Environmental Impact Statement found the project poses no significant hazard and any potential impacts could be mitigated.

“We’ve undergone an extensive amount of scrutiny, both environmental and safety,” noted Peter McClaran, spokesman for STARS. “We’ve gone to court four different times and each time the project has been upheld. . . . Everything is proceeding smoothly to the launch as planned.”

Despite the vocal opposition, including from Kauai’s mayor, other residents back the program as a boost to the island’s economy and the nation’s security. The 670 workers employed at the Pacific Missile Range earned much good will with their efforts to help local people after Hurricane Iniki devastated the island last September.

“Right now our economy is down the tubes as far as tourism goes,” Larry Aiwohi, a native Hawaiian and U.S. Air Force veteran, said in an interview. “The STARS program can’t help but help. The locals are very supportive of the program because it gives us jobs.”

Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii), chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, joined with project opponents in pressuring the Army to conduct the environmental impact study. But unlike them, he accepts the environmental study’s findings of “no significant impact.” His spokesman, Nestor Garcia, said Friday that Inouye has not changed his stand despite Conyers’ appeal.

Conyers’ letter notes that an investigation by the Government Accounting Office has raised major concerns about the cost and feasibility of STARS. He also says that the START I and II treaties eliminate multiple warhead missiles, so “it is questionable whether we need to test against this perceived threat.”

Aspin’s staff confirmed that the letter had been received but had no further comment Friday.

Opponents hold out hope that the new budget-conscious mood sweeping the nation’s capital will help them finally kill the project. Nani Rogers, a Hawaiian activist, says she plans to “do everything” she can to block the missiles.

“It’s been a long struggle,” she said, “and at this point we aren’t going to give up.”