National Environmental Policy Act, Hawai‘i Revised Statutes Chapter 343, and National Historic Preservation Act Section 106

Pacific Missile Range Facility and Kōkeʻe Park Geophysical Observatory Real Estate Environmental Impact Statement

The Navy and NASA, as applicants and joint lead agencies, are preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The EIS will also be used by the Hawai‘i Board of Land and Natural Resources under Hawai‘i Revised Statutes (HRS) Chapter 343 and Hawai‘i Administrative Rules Chapter 11-200.1, collectively referred to as the Hawai‘i Environmental Policy Act (HEPA), in its decision making as to whether and what type of real estate agreements it may grant the Navy and NASA.

The EIS Process diagram (right) illustrates the stages of public involvement in the NEPA and HEPA environmental processes. The public involvement processes for NEPA and HEPA for this EIS are running concurrently to meet the requirements for both state and federal laws and regulations.

The Navy and NASA are coordinating the NEPA/HEPA public meetings to fulfill responsibilities under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and HRS Section 6E for public participation in reviewing potential effects to historic properties.

To learn more about the HEPA process, visit the State of Hawaiʻi Office of Planning and Sustainable Development Environmental Review Program website.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

On May 8, 2024, the Navy and NASA initiated a public scoping process to receive comments on the scope of the EIS. Members of the public were encouraged to participate in the environmental planning process by providing input on the proposed real estate action including potential alternatives, environmental or cultural concerns, information the public would like the Navy and NASA to know, and any other information the public would like to see addressed in the EIS, as well as the project’s potential to affect historic properties pursuant to Section 106 of the NHPA and HRS Section 6E-8.

On June 20, 2025, the Navy and NASA published the Draft EIS for public review and comment. During the public comment period, which closed on August 7, 2025, the public had an opportunity to review the document, meet with project team members during the public meetings held July 15-17, 2025, and provide comments on the Draft EIS and potential effects to historic properties.

The Navy and NASA conducted comprehensive community outreach on the potential environmental impacts of the Proposed Action. The Navy and NASA are proud contributing members to the local community.

 

Opportunities for formal public participation during the EIS process occurred during two stages:

  1. During the scoping period, which occurred in May–June 2024 following publication of the Notice of Intent (NOI) and the Environmental Impact Statement Preparation Notice (EISPN).

    Scoping occurred at the beginning of the NEPA/HEPA process to help the Navy and NASA understand community-specific concerns regarding the Proposed Action and the planned analysis. Scoping encourages the participation of federal, state, and local agencies; Native Hawaiian Organizations; environmental, cultural, and other groups; and the general public. The scoping process helped determine the issues and resources that should be studied in the EIS, including the alternatives to be analyzed.

  2. During the comment period following publication of the Draft EIS, which occurred from June 20, 2025, to August 7, 2025, 11:59 p.m. HST.

    During the public review and comment period for the Draft EIS, the public had an opportunity to review the analysis and provide comments on the adequacy and accuracy of the analysis. The public was encouraged to provide substantive comments on the environmental impacts of the alternatives, environmental or cultural concerns, information the public would like the Navy and NASA to know, and any other information the public would like to see addressed in the Final EIS.

WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE DRAFT EIS?

After the Draft EIS public review and comment period closed, the Navy and NASA reviewed all comments received and prepared the Final EIS, which was published on August 21, 2026, which began a 30-day wait period. Following publication of the Final EIS on August 23, 2026, in The Environmental Notice, the Board of Land and Natural Resources will determine acceptability of the Final EIS in accordance with Hawai‘i Revised Statutes (HRS) Chapter 343 (referred to as “HEPA”) and publish their determination in The Environmental Notice. The Board of Land and Natural Resources meeting will be held on September 11, 2026. A 60-day HEPA wait period follows the Board of Land and Natural Resources’ publication of determination. The Navy and NASA will publish their own Record of Decision following a 30-day wait period. The Record of Decision is a concise public record that will address the Navy and NASA decisions.

The NEPA version and the HEPA version of the Final EIS are available on the Documents page. The HEPA version shows changes from Draft to Final.

Figure: The Environmental Impact Statement Process