About
the EIS Process
The EIS is a public document whose purpose is to provide the decisions makers, in this case the Army, the information they require to make a fully informed decision as spelled out under the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA. NEPA directs all federal agencies to examine the environmental consequences of any major federal action that significantly affects the quality of the human environment and provides an interdisciplinary framework to evaluate federal actions. Furthermore, NEPA opens the federal decision-making process to public involvement and scrutiny. The Public Scoping Meetings and the EIS the Army prepared are part of that process.
The EIS would evaluates
impacts on Army installations and training ranges and surrounding lands
in Hawaii, focusing on Army lands on the islands of Oahu and Hawaii. The
EIS is be a comprehensive, full-disclosure document that assesses the
social, economic, and environmental effects, both positive and negative,
of the proposed project and of all the alternatives under consideration.
The EIS process includes a Draft EIS, which is released to the public
for comment, and a Final EIS, which addresses the public comments and
selects a preferred alternative.
The EIS provides a full and fair discussion of significant environmental
impacts associated with the proposed action-in this case the Army transformation
of the 25th Infantry Division to an Stryker Brigade Combat Team-and
informs the decision-makers and the public of reasonable alternatives that
would avoid or minimize any adverse impacts caused by the action.
A Notice of Intent was published in the U.S. Government's Federal Register on March 4, 2002, stating that the Army intends to prepare an environmental impact statement to address the Army Transformation in Hawaii. Publication of that notice initiated the NEPA requirement for public involvement referred to as the scoping process. Six scoping meetings were held between April 6 and April 30, 2002 in Hilo, Waikaloa, Wahiawa, Haleiwa, Kahuku, and Waianae.
The Commanding General of the US Army Hawaii 25th ID(L) approved the draft EIS for public review and it was distributed to elected officials, regulatory agencies, and members of the public on October 3, 2003. The availability of this document was announced in the Federal Register, and a 45-day public comment period followed to provide the public with the opportunity to comment on the findings of the EIS. Six public meetings were held between October 28 and November 6, 2003, in Honolulu, Hilo, Wahiawa, Waianae, Waikaloa, and Kahuku. On October 31, 2003 the Commanding General of the US Army Hawaii 25th ID(L) made a decision to extend the public comment period on the Draft EIS until January 3rd, 2004. A media release was issued announcing the extension.
Comments received during the public comment period included comments from federal, state, and local agencies, non-governmental organizations, businesses, and individuals. Over 600 unique commenters participated in the public review of the Draft EIS, and all of these comments and the Army’s responses are reproduced in the Final EIS. The Final EIS was released to the public on Friday, June 4, and a Notice of Availability was published in the Federal Register. Following a 30-day public review period, the Army signed the Record of Decision on July 7, 2004.
A flow
chart showing the NEPA process and important EIS
process dates can be found by clicking on the text link.