After extensive review and public testimony, the Hawaii Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) has made the call to reject the U.S. Army's final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the continued use of state lands across three sites on O'ahu. These sites, which include the Kahuku Training Area, the Kawailoa-Poamoho Training Area, and the Mākua Military Reservation, are central to military training operations on the island but have raised environmental concerns that proved significant enough for the BLNR's recent non-acceptance decision.
The FEIS was meant to assess the impact of the Army's presence on these state lands, where the current lease is set to expire in 2029. However, a report provided by the DLNR raised concerns regarding the evaluation, primarily focusing on environmental risks and cultural preservation. The decision not to accept the FEIS echoes last month's rejection regarding the Pōhakuloa Training Area on Hawaiʻi Island, highlighting ongoing apprehension about military activities on environmental and heritage sites in the region.
According to the DLNR, the FEIS failed to address key issues around natural resources and cultural impacts, leading the Land Division (LD) to recommend non-acceptance. The LD, along with other divisions such as the Commission on Water Resources Management and the State Historic Preservation Division, advised that the FEIS lacked accurate baseline data for properly assessing impacts on native flora and fauna as well as archaeological sites. Despite these concerns being flagged during the draft EIS phase, corrections were not made in the finalized document.
"The action before the BLNR was whether to accept or non-acceptance of the FEIS based upon specific legal criteria set forth in Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 343, and relevant administrative rules," said DLNR Chair Dawn Chang, as reported by the DLNR. Chang noted that the FEIS simply did not meet the expected legal standards after "reviewing hundreds of written and oral testimonies, as well as comments from DLNR's own divisions." The board's submittal confirmed lack of clarity on environmental impacts as a major issue among all Divisions involved in the review process.
The decision of the BLNR does not, in itself, halt military land use, as the FEIS only serves to inform decision-making processes. Future proposals regarding land use will undergo separate reviews and determinations by the BLNR. The Army’s efforts to retain these training lands in Oʻahu will now likely require an amended approach if they wish to meet the state's rigorous environmental and cultural standards for land use post-2029.
