Public Involvement

The Navy and NASA value and welcomed input from the community, as well as the chance to share, communicate, and inform the community about the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and the need for the real estate agreements.

Public involvement is an integral part of the environmental planning process. The public has an important role in providing input during this process to help the Navy and NASA make more informed decisions about the proposed real estate action.

On May 8, 2024, the Navy and NASA initiated a public scoping period to receive comments on the scope of the EIS. The public participated in the environmental planning process by providing input on the proposed real estate actions 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.

The public scoping period also provided an opportunity for public participation in reviewing potential effects to historic properties pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and Hawai‘i Revised Statutes 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, 11:59 p.m. HST, 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.

Next Steps

The Final EIS was published on August 21, 2026, in the U.S. Federal Register, completing the Final EIS stage of the federal National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. Following the required 30-day waiting period, the Navy and NASA will issue a Record of Decision (ROD), a concise public record documenting their respective decisions regarding the proposed action.

For the State environmental review process, the Final EIS was published in The Environmental Notice on August 23, 2026. In accordance with Hawai‘i Revised Statutes (HRS) Chapter 343 (referred to as “HEPA”), the Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR), as the accepting authority, will determine the acceptability of the Final EIS and publish its determination in The Environmental Notice.

On September 14, 2026, Governor Josh Green issued an emergency proclamation in response to recent hurricanes affecting the Hawaiian Islands (Second Proclamation Relating to September 2026 Tropical Cyclones). On September 15, 2026, the Department of Land and Natural Resources announced that the deadline for BLNR’s determination on the Final EIS has been suspended pursuant to the emergency proclamation. BLNR stated that it will notify the public of significant developments in the environmental review process (NR Deadline Suspended for Pacific Missile Range Facility and Kōkeʻe Park Sep 15 2026).

The federal NEPA and State HEPA processes will continue in accordance with their respective requirements. This website will be updated as the Navy and NASA issue their RODs and as additional information becomes available regarding BLNR’s review and determination of the Final EIS.

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.

Click here for an overview of the environmental planning process.