OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY CONTROL
Frequently Asked Questions
What is your deadline for submitting an EA/EIS in The Environmental Notice?
A calendar
of submittal deadlines is created in November for the following year.
Where are you located?
OEQC is located in downtown Honolulu, on Beretania Street
opposite Saint Andrew's Cathedral, between Alakea and Richards Streets. The
address is 235 South Beretania, Suite 702, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813.
Who is the Director?
The Director is Katherine Puana Kealoha.
What is OEQC's function?
OEQC implements the state environmental review law, also called
the Environmental Impact Statement law, Chapter 343, HRS. Office planners
review and comment on hundreds of environmental disclosure documents each
year. Twice a month, OEQC publishes
The
Environmental Notice. This bulletin informs the public of all projects
being proposed in the State that are subject to public review and comment.
When is an EA/EIS required?
For any proposed project or activity, if one or more of nine
specific conditions (called "triggers") is present, then an environmental
review document (EA or EIS) must be prepared and circulated to the public
for review. To find out if a project needs to undergo an environmental review,
read Chapter
343-5, HRS.
When are projects exempt?
Even though certain minor or routine activities "trigger" the
environmental review law, they can be declared exempt from environmental
review by the state or county agency that has oversight. There are 11 classes
of exempt action under the EIS rules. In addition each state and county agency
is required to prepare its own exemption list. A copy of agency
exemption lists are available online.
What is your policy on borrowing items?
Upon presentation of an ID, you may borrow a hardcopy of the EA or
EIS. Documents may also be posted on our online
library. Please check for availability.
What happens after a FONSI is issued; how can I stop
a project?
A final EA has no review period. The date a FONSI is published
begins a 30-day legal challenge period. A suit can be filed in Circuit Court
to reverse the determination and require an EIS. This will not stop a project
but only reverse the determination. A project typically requires other permits,
usually with public hearings, and it may be possible to stop a project during
these permit processes.
Who is responsible for preparing an environmental
assessment?
The submitting agency.
When the applicant is a private entity, the submitting agency
can require the applicant to provide all the necessary information, usually
in the form of an environmental assessment. It's important to keep in mind,
however, that it is the agency (referred to as the approving agency in the
statute) and not the applicant that takes full responsibility for
the contents of the assessment.
Is there a distinction between the "procedural" and "content" requirements
of the EIS law (Chapter 343, HRS)?
No. The EIS law and its implementing
administrative rules make no distinction between "procedural" or "content" requirements
for environmental review documents. There is only one standard of
environmental disclosure and this is set forth in the statute and administrative
rules.
