NEPA Workshop

October 7, 2016 News, Tea

A workshop was held from June 22-24, 2015 at Hilo, Hawaii on the National Environmental Policy Act.

Discussions covered the following materials:

  • The National Environmental Policy Act
  • The Hawaii Environmental Policy Act
  • NEPA 101: History & Purpose of NEPA
  • Making Your Case: Guide and Supplements
  • The Law of Alternatives
  • Where’s the Rest of NEPA: Mitigation & Monitoring
  • Ho’ohana Aku, a Ho’ōla Aku: A Legal Primer for Traditional and Customary Rights in Hawai’i
  • Rock of the Earth
  • Granite Mountain Wind – Comment Letter Example
  • Standing Declaration – Example
  • Hells Gulch Complaint – Example
  • BLM Letter
  • Traditional Cultural Landscape
  • Native American Traditional Cultural Landscapes Action Plan
  • Climate Change Analysis Under NEPA
  • Defenders of Wildlife Report – NEPA and Climate Change Adaptation

The agenda for the program is shown below and can also be downloaded here.

Monday, June 22, 2015

  • 8:00 am to 8:30 am
    • Gathering – Continental Breakfast to be Served
  • 8:30 am to 8:45 am
    • Welcome, purpose of the workshop, and introductions
  • 8:45 am to 9:30 am
    • NEPA & HEPA 101 – Dinah Bear & (TBD – Dave, Paul, or Denise?)
    • Purpose of NEPA & Nuts and Bolts of the NEPA & HEPA Process
    • Bring “History & Purpose of NEPA”; Additional Material – “Granite Wind Comment Letter”
  • 9:30 am to 10:00 am
    • Break Out Conversations – Sharing of Personal Successes and Frustrations in NEPA & HEPA Process
  • 10:00 am to 11:00 am
    • Programmatic EISs – Sharon Buccino
    • Overview and discussion of PEISs, tiering, and implementation
    • Examples: Fishery Management Plans (NOAA/Fishery Mgt. Councils); Hawaii Clean Energy Programmatic EIS
  • 11:15 am to 11:30 am
    • Break
  • 11:30 am to 12:15 pm
    • NEPA Successes, Introduction to Alternatives, and Case Law – Dinah Bear
    • Bring “Law of Alternatives”; Additional Material – “Rock of the Earth”
      Examples: Superferry (HEPA); Southern California-Hawai’I Training & Testing
  • 12:15 pm to 1:15 pm
    • Lunch – to be provided
  • 1:15 pm to 2:00 pm
    • Putting Together Community Alternatives – Mary O’Brien
  • 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm
    • Break Out Session – Class Exercise
    • Break into four work groups to share & discuss opportunities/challenges to developing alternatives for issues participant organizations have faced or are currently facing
  • 3:00 pm to 3:15 pm
    • Break
  • 3:15 pm to 5:00 pm
    • Reconvene as Full Group for Discussion
    • Discussion of major opportunities to develop alternatives and response to challenges & issues raised in the work groups (Dinah, Sharon, Mary)
  • 7:30 pm
    • Dinner at Café Pesto with Local Guest Speaker

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

  • 8:00 am to 8:30 am
    • Gathering – Continental Breakfast to be Served
  • 8:30 am to 9:00 am
    • Where’s the Rest of NEPA? Monitoring & Mitigation Issues – Mary O’Brien & Dinah Bear
    • Bring “Where’s the Rest of NEPA: Monitoring & Mitigation”
  • 9:00 am to 9:30 am
    • NEPA/HEPA and Protected Species – Sharon Buccino
    • Additional Material: “BLM Mitigation Guidance”
    • Examples: Monk Seals, Newell’s Shearwater
  • 9:30 am to 10:00 am
    • Group Discussion of Mitigation/ Monitoring/ Wildlife Protection Issues
  • 10:00 am to 10:30 am
    • Break
  • 10:30 am to 11:15 am
    • Introduction to NEPA/APA Litigation – Sharon Buccino
    • Bring “Making Your Case” & “Making Your Case: Supplement”
  • 11:15 am to 12:00 pm
    • Practice Points: Litigating NEPA Cases Under the APA – Sharon Buccino
    • Case Examples from Hawaii
  • 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
    • Lunch – to be provided
  • 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm
    • Using NEPA to Address Native Hawiian Concerns – Facilitated Discussion
    • Additional Material/Examples: “Native American Traditional Cultural Landscapes Action Plan,” “Traditional Cultural Landscape,” Resort development, National Science Foundation funded telescopes
  • 2:00 pm to 2:30 pm
    • Climate Change Analysis Under NEPA – Dinah Bear
    • Bring “Climate Change Analysis Under NEPA”
  • 2:30 pm to 3:15 pm
    • Break Out Session – Small Group Discussions of:
      • Option 1 – Addressing Climate Change Through NEPA, or
      • Option 2 – Native Hawaiian Concerns and NEPA
  • 3:15 pm to 3:30 pm
    • Break
  • 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm
    • NEPA Under Siege – Legislating NEPA Away & Wrap Up Discussion – Stephen Schima

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

  • 8:30 am to 12:30 am
    • Field Trip with Local Expert