Public Meeting on the Draft Restoration Plans and Environmental Assessments for the Oahu Sugar Site, Pearl Harbor (Pu’uloa)
January 13, 2025
The Oahu Sugar Trustee Council (NOAA and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [U.S. FWS]) is pleased to announce the release of two Restoration Plans/Environmental Assessments (RP/EAs) for the Oahu Sugar Site, located in Pearl Harbor (Pu’uloa), Oahu. The Plans outline two proposed restoration projects designed to compensate the public for lost, injured, or destroyed natural resources and associated services due to releases of hazardous substances from the Site. Pursuant to a consent decree with the settling defendants, $2.5 million was designated for ecological restoration.
The Oahu Sugar Company Ltd. operated sugar cane fields and facilities on Oahu, Hawaii, and leased land at Pearl Harbor from 1947 to 1995. During this time, activities such as the storage, mixing, and loading of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers led to the release of hazardous substances, including dioxin and PCP, causing damage to natural resources and habitats at the site.
The NOAA Draft Restoration Plan/NEPA Evaluation (PDF, 36 pages) to address aquatic injuries identifies the preferred alternative as the West Loch Pearl Harbor Honouliuli Watershed Wetland Restoration project. This project aims to restore estuarine coastal wetland habitat along West Loch Pearl Harbor shoreline and adjacent to Pearl Harbor National Wildlife Refuge, an area impacted by hazardous waste discharges from the Oahu Sugar Site.
Concurrent with the NOAA Plan, the U.S. FWS is releasing a plan (PDF, 22 pages) that is proposing additional restoration projects to restore terrestrial natural resources, including migratory bird and endangered species habitat, in an additional restoration plan available at https://www.fws.gov/project/oahu-sugar-site-restoration-middle-loch-pear....
Public comments on the NOAA Draft RP/NEPA Evaluation can be sent to
nmfs.oahusugar@noaa.gov.
Public comments on the U.S. FWS Draft Restoration Plan and NEPA Evaluation may be submitted both via email and in writing. Public comments can be sent via email to oahusugarnrdar@fws.gov. Please include “Draft RP/NEPA Evaluation for Oʻahu Sugar Site” in the title of the email. Public comments can be sent via writing to the following address:
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Alicia Hendrix
300 Ala Moana Blvd Rm 3-122
Honolulu, HI 96850
oahusugarnrdar@fws.gov
The Trustees will address and respond to received comments as part of the Final RP/NEPA Evaluation.
Public Meeting and Comment Period
Public participation and review is an integral part of the Trustees’ process. NOAA will be holding an in-person Public Meeting as an open house format on January 29, 2025 to share the details of the proposed project. There will be two time windows to attend the in-person Public Meeting Open House–from 11am-2pm (HST) and 5-8pm (HST).
- Filipino Community Center- 94-428 Mokuola Street, Waipahu, Hawai‘i 96797
The NOAA Draft RP/NEPA Evaluation (PDF, 36 pages) is open for review and public comment period from Monday, January 13, 2025 until Wednesday, February 26, 2025. Public comments on the NOAA Draft RP/NEPA Evaluation (PDF, 36 pages) can be emailed to:
Public comments on the U.S. FWS Draft Restoration Plan and NEPA Evaluation (PDF, 22 pages) may be submitted via email or in writing. Public comments can be sent via email to oahusugarnrdar@fws.gov. Please include “Draft RP/NEPA Evaluation for Oʻahu Sugar Site” in the title of the email. Public comments can be sent via writing to:
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Alicia Hendrix
300 Ala Moana Blvd Rm 3-122
Honolulu, HI 96850
The Trustees will address and respond to received comments as part of the Final RP/NEPA Evaluation.
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