LIHUE — The Navy is looking at how proposed special operations training in Hawaii would affect the state, and a public comment period on their draft environmental assessment has been extended through Jan. 7.
The proposal is to conduct small-unit land and maritime training activities for naval special operations personnel in the nearshore waters and land-based areas on Oahu, Hawaii, Kauai, Maui, Molokai and Lanai.
The comment period began Nov. 8 and had a deadline in December, but it’s been extended “to allow public more time to submit comments,” according to the Navy’s press release about the draft.
U.S. Naval Special Warfare Command representatives didn’t return requests for comment by press time. However the draft says training would start in 2019.
“It is a small wonder they are extending the comment period,” said Gordon LaBedz with the conservation group Kohola Leo, who was part of a group protesting the military’s 2018 Rim of the Pacific exercises.
He continued, “My guess is that they received very few comments to legitimize their process.”
Katherine Muzik, a Kauai marine biologist, said she thinks the U.S. Navy “blatantly ignores lengthy comments” in their process, since she submitted comments in opposition of proposed “war games,” — Rim of the Pacific exercises — and the exercises continued.
She says the Navy environmental assessment and other environmental impact statements don’t contain the proof needed to show that animals and ecosystems won’t be harmed by their activities.
“Why not use Navy funding, equipment and manpower to clean up our oceans instead of destroy them?” Muzik asked.
The draft explains proposed training would be in selected areas throughout the state and would include the use of unmanned aircraft systems or aircraft utilizing drop or landing zones for parachute or rope-suspension activities.
The Navy’s draft assessment found that the training wouldn’t impact water resources, transportation or infrastructure, and doesn’t include construction on undeveloped lands that would impede geological or visual resources.
It does involve “minimal use of machinery, equipment or vehicles,” the draft says, but, “as such, no increases in the amount of hazardous waste produced would be expected.” LaBedz says the draft is the same as many of the environmental impact statements from the Navy.
“Navy environmental impact statements are all the same: vague and non-specific. They rarely reveal anything that they are actually going to do,” he said. “These reports are consciously designed to make the authors look very wise and make the readers very unlikely to want to wade through all the blather.”
A digital copy of the Draft EA was made available for public review on the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific website at bit.ly/2Gg5ghc.
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Jessica Else, environment reporter, can be reached at 245-0452 or jelse@thegardenisland.com.
