Navy and NASA Withdraw Final EIS for Kauai Military Facilities: Any New Filing Must Restart as a Draft With Public Comment
The U.S. Navy and NASA have withdrawn the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) covering the real estate actions for the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) and the Kokee Park Geophysical Observatory (KPGO) on Kauai, in Kauai County, Hawaii. The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) announced on November 5 that it had been notified of the two federal agencies' decision to withdraw the statement.
DLNR said that, as a result of the decision, the FEIS will not be presented to the Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) for a determination of its acceptability. Under Hawaii Administrative Rules section 11-200.1-28(g), if the Navy and NASA elect to submit another environmental impact statement, it must meet all requirements for filing, distribution, publication, review and notification as a draft EIS, including a new public-comment period.
DLNR First Deputy Director Dave Day said the department commends the Navy and NASA for the decision to withdraw the FEIS, which DLNR believes to be in the best interest of the people of Hawaii. He said the purpose of an environmental impact statement is to provide decision makers and the public with as much information about a project as possible so that well-reasoned decisions about the use of state land can be made in accordance with Hawaii law.
Day added that, whether a person agrees or disagrees with this particular project, the decision to withdraw the FEIS and potentially work to address concerns demonstrates respect for Hawaii law and a responsiveness by federal agencies to the views of the people of Hawaii who made their voices heard.
The review had already been extended several times. The Navy and NASA concurrently filed the final statement with DLNR and the state Office of Planning and Sustainable Development's Environmental Review Program on August 14, 2026, setting an original 30-day acceptance deadline of September 13. On September 4, DLNR granted the agencies a 15-day extension, moving the deadline to September 29.
On September 14, however, DLNR suspended the acceptance deadline to protect the public's ability to participate in the review following the impacts of Hurricane Lowell on Kauai. The decision, made under Governor Josh Green's Second Proclamation Relating to September 2026 Tropical Cyclones, was intended to give the people of Kauai a meaningful opportunity to participate in any consideration of the FEIS by the board. The emergency period under the current proclamation is set to expire on December 20, 2026, but DLNR said the withdrawal of the FEIS renders that deadline moot.
Source: Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：夏威夷州考艾岛太平洋导弹靶场（PMRF）设施航拍。照片：美国海军，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons 发布／Aerial view of a Pacific Missile Range Facility site on Kauai, Hawaii. Photo by U.S. Navy, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
