SBCT Final EIS - Govsupport.us

Appendix D ⎯ Responses to Comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statementtion in this public process. Your comment has been considered and included inthe administrative record for this process.80. On page xvii, the DEIS states that some weapons systems use inert environmentally friendlytraining rounds. How often would these rounds be used and what substances do they contain?Response: When practicable, some weapons systems use rounds of lesser environmentalimpact. These rounds include inert or nonexplosive training rounds andstainless steel training rounds. Section 2.2 presents a more detailed descriptionof live-fire training activities and munitions.81. The DEIS should include a comparison of public support and opposition at each location. Thecomparison should breakdown, but state, the number of people who attended the hearings,commented at the hearings, and submitted written comments.Response: This Appendix includes a summary of public participation in the NEPA processfor this FEIS. The appendix presents the number of attendees, the numberof comments and the method by which comments were received. The Army hasnot made any changes to include support or opposition to the table as not allcomments could be categorized as such. In addition to this Appendix, Chapter1 also includes a summary of the issues raised during scoping. We thank youfor your comment and participation in this public process. Your comment hasbeen considered and included in the administrative record for this process.82. Unlike during the meetings on the DEIS, the Army did not allow the public to speak at a microphoneduring the scoping meetings. Was this ban of public speaking a violation of NEPA?Response: NEPA requires a public scoping process for EISs, including opportunities forthe public to submit comments on the Proposed Action. NEPA does not requiremeetings or hearings to provide an opportunity to comment in a public setting.The decision to hold public meetings for a NEPA document is at the discretionof the project proponent. Should a proponent hold public meetings, the number,duration, location, and format of the meetings are also at the discretion ofthe proponent. The Army provided the opportunity to comment verbally at amicrophone at the five meetings held during the comment period for the DraftEIS. This was done to provide an additional method to submit comments on theEIS, and the absence of public speaking at the scoping meetings earlier in theyear was not a violation of NEPA. We thank you for your comment and participationin this public process. Your comment has been considered and includedin the administrative record for this process.83. The Army’s helicopters provided emergency ambulance service until they were deployed toIraq with the 25 th Infantry Division. This is a critical service because of the distance betweenWahiawa and trauma facilities. The Wahiawa Rainbow Seniors Club hopes the helicopterswill return to Hawaii from Iraq and continue to provide emergency ambulance service whenneeded.Response: The current defense policies of the nation to include the war in Iraq are outsideof the scope of this document. The permanent stationing of the SBCT doesnot involve the stationing of additional helicopter assets. We thank you forFebruary 2008 D–27 2/25th SBCT Final EIS