9/15/26 – DEADLINE SUSPENDED FOR PACIFIC MISSILE RANGE FACILITY AND KŌKEʻE PARK FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT

DEADLINE SUSPENDED FOR PACIFIC MISSILE RANGE FACILITY AND KŌKEʻE PARK
FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT

Action Preserves Public Participation During Hurricane Lowell Recovery

HONOLULU - The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) has suspended the deadline for accepting the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) and Kōkeʻe Park Geophysical Observatory, to protect the public's ability to participate in the review. The FEIS will not be placed on the Board of Land and Natural Resources' (BLNR) September 25 meeting agenda. DLNR will publicly announce a future meeting date and explain how residents can submit testimony before the board considers whether to accept the FEIS.

The suspension pauses the decision deadline; it does not accept or reject the FEIS. DLNR filed the formal notice September 14 under Governor Josh Green's Second Proclamation Relating to September 2026 Tropical Cyclones. The proclamation puts the deadline on hold until DLNR acts or the emergency period expires. It currently expires November 13, 2026, but may be extended in accordance with the law.

"Given the extent of damage on Kauaʻi from Hurricane Lowell, the focus should be on recovery. This project directly affects the people of Kauaʻi and they should have a meaningful opportunity to participate when the Board considers the FEIS," said BLNR Chairperson Ryan Kanakaʻole. "Moving forward with it while the community is still dealing with the impacts of the storm, does not make sense and is not in the best interest of the people of our state."

"As promised, the DLNR will continue to keep the public informed of every significant development in this environmental review process," Kanakaʻole added.

The Navy and NASA concurrently filed the FEIS with the DLNR and the state of Hawaiʻi Office of Planning and Sustainable Development Environmental Review Program (ERP) on August 14, 2026, setting the original 30-day acceptance deadline for September 13, 2026. The DLNR granted the Navy and NASA's request for the 15-day extension on September 4, 2026, pursuant to Hawaiʻi Administrative Rules (HAR) §11-200.1-28(e)(2)(B), which then gave the DLNR until September 29, 2026, to render decision on the acceptability of the final EIS.

The Governor's emergency proclamation can be found here.

# # #

Media Contact:
Andrew Laurence
Communications Director
State of Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources
Phone: 808-587-0396
E-mail: [email protected]