SBCT Final EIS - Govsupport.us

Appendix D ⎯ Responses to Comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statementc & d) Consultation is documented in the Army’s annual reports required bythe PA, such as the 2006 and 2007 Cultural Resource ManagementSBCT Transformation Projects, Oahu and Hawaii Islands reports.e) The Army provides training for their personnel through the use of postersand brochures, briefings to officers and senior noncommissioned officersand training of Soldiers in cultural awareness before military trainingevents. For example, all Commanders of units training at PTA must followthe requirements of the USAG-HI’s PTA External Standard OperatingProcedure (SOP). This SOP identifies areas of PTA with sensitive archaeologicalsites and restrictions that USAG-HI established to protect thesites. These restrictions include limitations on the use of vehicles, avoidanceof rock structures, and limitations on digging of fighting positions.Appendix B of the PA (Archaeological Site Monitoring and ArchaeologicalSite Protection Options) details the procedures for monitoring and protectingsites. See the response to comment 122 for more information. TheArmy does not feel that training for all SBCT personnel is required at thistime.f) See Section 5.2.10 for more information.g) Stationing the 2/25 th SBCT in Hawaii would not require improvements toKawaihae Harbor; therefore, no additional impacts to the harbor wouldoccur.135. The NPS remains concerned about the issue of seismicity and vibrations, whether naturallycaused by geologic and volcanic hazards or human-caused by the transport of equipment andmachinery along road corridors adjacent to sensitive cultural resources such as John YoungHomestead.The NPS recommends that seismic monitoring equipment be installed by the Army to providedata for analysis by the USGS to monitor and provide recommendations in the oversight ofthe movement of equipment and troops until such time as the access operations have been relocatedaway from sensitive park lands and NHL resources (i.e. out of Pelekane and awayfrom the highway corridor that splits the park lands).Response: The figure below shows the responses to typical sources of vibration. Strykervehicles would produce velocity levels similar to that of bus or truck. At 50 feet,there is no risk of structural damage, and the PTA Trail is approximately500 feet from both Heiau sites and the John Young Homestead. Therefore, themovement of equipment and troops on the PTA Trail would not create vibrationsof the magnitude required to affect sensitive resources. Route 270 is closerto the sites than the PTA Trail, and is more heavily traveled. Any vibrations feltat NHL resources are likely attributable to highway traffic, not Army use of thePTA Trail. Army-funded seismic monitoring would be an inappropriate use ofmitigation and monitoring funds.February 2008 D–46 2/25th SBCT Final EIS