Hawaii has suspended the deadline for deciding whether to accept a final environmental impact statement covering continued Navy and NASA use of state land on Kauai, removing the matter from the Board of Land and Natural Resources' September 25 agenda while the island recovers from Hurricane Lowell. The Department of Land and Natural Resources said Tuesday that the pause does not approve or reject the environmental document.
The joint proposal concerns 8,172 acres used by the Navy to support Pacific Missile Range Facility operations and 23 acres used by NASA for the Koke'e Park Geophysical Observatory. Existing real-estate agreements begin expiring in 2027 and run through 2030. The agencies are seeking continued access; acceptance of the environmental statement would establish that the document is adequate for state review, not itself grant new land agreements.
How the review reached a pause
The Navy and NASA filed the final statement on August 14. Hawaii originally faced a September 13 decision deadline, then granted a 15-day extension to September 29 under the state's environmental-review rules. DLNR filed formal notice of the suspension on September 14 under Gov. Josh Green's emergency proclamation for the September tropical cyclones. That proclamation currently runs through November 13, although it can be extended.
DLNR Chair Ryan Kanaka'ole said recovery work should take priority and Kauai residents should have a meaningful chance to participate. The department has not set a replacement board date. It said it will announce the new hearing schedule and testimony procedures when the item returns, giving residents a fresh notice rather than requiring them to rely on the canceled September 25 date.
What the proposal would preserve
The Navy says the state parcels support communications, utilities, logistics, safety and other functions needed for the Pacific Missile Range Facility. NASA uses its smaller parcel for the geophysical observatory. The agencies' project record contains the final statement and prior public-review materials. According to the Navy, the training and testing themselves are covered by earlier environmental documents and do not occur on the state parcels addressed in this land-use review.
The federal agencies argue that continued use would maintain operational continuity, local employment, conservation work and lease revenue for Hawaii. Their environmental review began publicly with a May 2024 notice of intent, followed by a draft statement and public comment period. The state board will still have to consider the final document once the emergency pause ends or DLNR schedules action under the proclamation.
For Kauai residents and organizations tracking the project, the immediate practical consequence is procedural: there is no vote on September 25 and no active replacement date. Any eventual decision on renewed leases, easements or other land agreements would remain a separate state action after the environmental review.
