HAWAII – The draft for an important document that will guide how the U.S. Department of Energy supports Hawaii’s Clean Energy Inititive has been published.

Its called the Hawaii Clean Energy Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement. In January 2008, the state and federal government established a long-term partnership to transform the way in which energy resources are planned and used in the State. This led to the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative, the goal of which is to meet 70% of Hawaii’s energy needs by 2030 through energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Summary

DOE’s proposed action is to develop guidance that can be used in making decisions to support the State of Hawai‘i in achieving the HCEI’s goals. The Hawai‘i Clean Energy PEIS will analyze, at a programmatic level, the potential environmental impacts of clean energy activities and technologies in the following clean energy categories: (1) Energy Efficiency, (2) Distributed Renewables, (3) Utility-Scale Renewables, (4) Alternative Transportation Fuels and Modes, and (5) Electrical Transmission and Distribution. The Draft PEIS was prepared with the following cooperating agencies: State of Hawai‘i (Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 9, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, National Park Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, and the Federal Aviation Administration.

U.S. Department of Energy

The document is available online for download

Hawaii Clean Energy Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement documents

In September 2012, DOE held eight public scoping meetings in locations throughout the Hawaiian Islands, including this one in Hilo.

The Department of Energy will be holding eight public hearings between May 12 and 22, 2014 at the following locations:

• May 12, Kaua‘i
  Kaua‘i War Memorial, Convention Hall, 4191 Hardy Street, Lihue, HI 96766
• May 13, Hawai‘i – Kona
  Kealakehe High School, 74-5000 Puohulihuli Street, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
• May 14, Hawai‘i – Hilo
  Aunty Sally Kaleohano’s Luau Hale, 799 Piilani Street, Hilo, HI 96720
• May 15, Maui
  Pomaikai Elementary School, 4650 South Kamehameha Avenue, Kahului, HI 96732
• May 19, Moloka‘i
  Kaunakakai Elementary School, 30 Ailoa Street, Kaunakakai, HI 96748
• May 20, Lāna‘i
  Lāna‘i High & Elementary School, 555 Fraser Avenue, Lāna‘i City, HI 96763
• May 21, O‘ahu – Honolulu
  Kawananakoa Middle School, 49 Funchal Street, Honolulu, HI 96813
• May 22, O‘ahu – Kaneohe
  James B. Castle High School, 45-386 Kaneohe Bay Drive, Kaneohe, HI 96744

Notice the May 13th location is Kealakehe High School in Kona, and May 14th is Aunty Sally Kaleohano’s Luau Hale in Hilo.

Each hearing will begin at 5:00 p.m. and end at 8:30 p.m. Each hearing will start with an open house (5:00 – 5:45), when Federal and State personnel and their contractors will be available to answer questions in an informal setting. The open house will be followed by a presentation (5:45 – 6:00) by Dr. Summerson, who will describe the PEIS, the NEPA process, and the methods that can be used to submit comments. During the remainder of the hearing, interested parties may present oral comments to DOE. A court reporter will transcribe the comments presented at each hearing.

Individuals wishing to speak at a hearing should register when they arrive. DOE will initially allot three minutes to each commenter to ensure that as many people as possible have the opportunity to speak. More time may be provided, as circumstances permit.