SBCT Final EIS - Govsupport.us

Appendix D ⎯ Responses to Comments on the Draft Environmental Impact StatementResponse: Chapter 3 of the FEIS contains extensive information about the affected environment,to include the socio-economic environment. It does not include informationon how Native Hawaiians are disproportionately affected by poverty,homelessness, or other problems. We thank you for your comments, whichhave been considered and included as part of the administrative record for thisprocess.203. For all locations, the DEIS needs to compare information on--• Percent of the U.S. military budget that goes to each state• Acreage and percentage of land, airspace, and ocean in each state now under militarycontrol. About 1 out every 7 acres of land in Hawai’i is military, plus 60,000 squaremiles of military special use airspace, and 200,000 square miles of military operating areasin the ocean.• Percent of the population that is military. About 1 out of every 6 people in Hawai’i ismilitary-connected--the highest ratio of all states.• Impacts from changes in numbers of personnel and dependents. Include changes that aretemporary, permanent, gradual, abrupt, and/or fluctuating, as when overall military presencechanges or troops deploy and return. Include social and economic impacts on traffic,noise, social services, the criminal justice system, and resources for electricity, water,and sewage treatment.• Impacts on homelessness from military housing allowances raising housing costs• Number of military personnel and dependents involved in crime, DUIs, and CSE (commercialsexual exploitation) such as strip clubs, massage parlors, escort services, hostessbars, and street prostitution; resulting costs for police, courts, and social service agencies;social impacts Military accidents and incidents with potential to affect health andsafety of military personnel and civiliansResponse: We thank you for your comment and participation in this public process. Yourcomment has been considered and has been included as part of the administrativerecord for this process.204. The DEIS needs to address the effects of the permanent stationing of the 2/25th SBCT onBuddhists and their congregations in Hawaii. Buddhism is the second largest religion in Hawaii.How will the army protect Buddhists in general and Buddhist children in particular frombeing exposed to “preparations for war”?Response: We thank you for your comment and participation in this public process. Yourcomment has been considered and has been included as part of the administrativerecord for this process. The Army conducts training on Army traininglands and works to ensure that training activities do not disrupt activities ofthe external community, to include Hawaii’s large Buddhist population. Itshould be noted that the Army and Buddhists in Hawaii and elsewhere are notmutually exclusive populations. The Army does have Buddhist Soldiers and Civiliansin its organization.205. The DEIS fails to adequately disclose or consider potential effects to utilities in the area. TheTransformation EIS states that the Army purchases water from the City of Trinidad and thesupply pipeline is deteriorated and leaking. The DEIS does not discuss how the training of the2/25th SBCT would affect the water system. The Transformation EIS states that increases inFebruary 2008 D–70 2/25th SBCT Final EIS