FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR NAVAL SPECIAL OPERATIONS TRAINING IN THE STATE OF HAWAII MAY 2021 DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS 2000 NAVY PENTAGON WASHINGTON DC 20350-2000 5090 Ser N45/ 21U132530 13 May 2021 From: Director, Energy and Environmental Readiness Division (N45) To: Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command Subj: FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT FOR NAVAL SPECIAL OPERATIONS TRAINING IN THE STATE OF HAWAII ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Ref: (a) OPNAVINST 5090.1E Encl: (1) Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) (2) Notice of Availability of FONSI and Environmental Assessment (EA) 1. This office has reviewed the subject EA and signed the enclosed FONSI pursuant to reference (a). Preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is not required. Accordingly, with implementation of the requirements set forth in the following paragraph and any mitigation measures described in enclosure (1), Naval Special Warfare Command may move forward with the project. 2. The Council on Environmental Quality regulations require public notification of the availability of the EA and of the decision not to prepare an EIS. Enclosures (1) and (2) are provided for your use in implementing this requirement. Please publish enclosure (2) in local newspapers and mail enclosure (1) to any interested parties. Provide verification of local publication to OPNAV (N454) upon implementation. Retain the EA in project files for possible future use. 3. As required by reference (a), please upload the final EA and signed decision document to the OPNAV (N45) Environmental Planning and Compliance Library website. 4. My point of contact is Ms. Gloria Kupstas, OPNAV (N454), who can be reached via phone at (703) 695-5213 or by email at [email protected]. S. T. GOODFELLOW By direction Copy to: DASN (E) OLA CHINFO DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT FOR NAVAL SPECIAL OPERATIONS TRAINING IN THE STATE OF HAWAII The United States (U.S.) Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC) gives notice of an Environmental Assessment (EA) prepared to analyze the environmental impacts of Naval Special Operations (NSO) training in the state of Hawaii, and the determination that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is not required. Preparation of the EA is pursuant to the Council on Environmental Quality regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] 1500–1508), and in accordance with U.S. Department of the Navy (Navy) regulations (32 CFR 775) and Chief of Naval Operations Instruction 5090.1E, Environmental Readiness Program (3 September 2019). The proposed action is to conduct small-unit beginning, intermediate, and advanced land-, water-, and air-based training activities for NSO personnel in the coastal nearshore waters and selected shoreline and inland locations throughout the state of Hawaii prior to advancing to more challenging, colder weather environments. Proposed training activities include occasional inclusion of other U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) personnel. The proposed action will increase the tempo of current training and add new NSO training within the nearshore waters and selected shoreline and inland locations on the islands of Oahu, Kauai, and Hawaii; and in nearshore waters of the islands of Maui, Molokai, and Lanai. The training includes the following activities, either independently or in combination: launch and recovery of small watercraft and submersibles; insertion and extraction of trainees and/or equipment using small watercraft; diving/swimming; moving on foot over the beach; special reconnaissance (using observation techniques in pre-arranged scenarios); simulated building clearance; high-angle climbing; training with unmanned underwater vehicles and small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS); and aircraft utilizing drop zones or landing zones for parachute or rope suspension training activities. Proposed air-based training would take place only on Department of Defense (DoD) and U. S. Coast Guard (USCG) property in selected coastal nearshore waters and on selected shoreline and inland locations throughout the state of Hawaii. Training would start in 2021 pending receipt of appropriate real estate agreements or right of entry permits from property owners of, or managers for, proposed training areas located on non-DoD property. The purpose of the proposed action is to ensure that special operations forces acquire and master individual and team skills in the marine, terrestrial, and aviation aspects of NSO in order to progress to more advanced training and to be combat-ready when called to conduct special operations in support of USSOCOM. NSO personnel must be ready for a variety of military operations--from large-scale conflict to maritime security and humanitarian assistance/disaster relief--to respond to the dynamic, social, political, economic, and environmental issues that may arise. The need for the proposed action is to meet requirements under Title 10 U.S. Code [USC] Section 167 for the Commander, USSOCOM to provide combat ready forces. NSO training requires personnel to successfully complete beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels of training in Hawaii’s warm maritime climate prior to advancing to more challenging colder weather environments. Current NSO training in the state of Hawaii does not meet the full range Enclosure (1) of training activities, locations, and duration needed to satisfy NSO mission training requirements and effectively prepare personnel to conduct operations and activities in support of USSOCOM and U.S. national interests. NSWC needs to train NSO units in full mission profile training that mimics real world mission scenarios in diverse training environments and includes all actions NSO units would typically have to accomplish during a mission. The trainees learn skills needed to avoid detection with the goal of leaving no trace of their presence during and after training activities. In this regard, the proposed action furthers the NSWC’s execution of its congressionally mandated roles and responsibilities under Title 10 USC Section 167. To facilitate NSO training in a variety of ocean, land, and air conditions, NSWC identified proposed training sites on or near six of the main Hawaiian Islands. The training study area includes 10 regions: Oahu Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH); Oahu Windward; Oahu North; Oahu South; Oahu West; Island of Hawaii; Kauai; Maui; Lanai; and Molokai. The training study area encompasses the nearshore waters and selected shoreline and inland locations within the five regions on Oahu; the nearshore waters, selected shoreline, and inland locations within three sites on or near the Island of Hawaii region; and the nearshore waters (including harbors and bays) at one site off the Maui region, two sites off the Molokai region, and two sites off the Lanai region. No land- or air-based training is proposed within the Maui, Molokai, and Lanai training study areas. Training activities would occur on DoD and USCG property and on non-DoD property (i.e., state, county, city, and private land) pending appropriate approvals. Not every non-DoD site would be used every year and the total training events proposed on DoD property would be distributed throughout the property within the training study area. Some locations would not be used for training during certain times of the year when weather, currents, scheduled public events, or protected natural resources concerns are present. Other sites may be used intermittently throughout a year or may not be used at all during a given year. No public properties would be closed to the public during proposed training activities. The size of the study area allows this flexibility, and also helps to prevent overuse. Training on non-DoD lands would only occur where a right of entry or other real estate agreement with a property owner or property manager is received. A training event may consist of one or multiple training activities (e.g., launch and recovery, diver/swimmer, and/or over the beach). During a typical training event, there would be up to 20 trainees and up to 26 support personnel (up to 46 people in total) at a training site within the training study area. In a few instances, there could be up to 24 trainees; however, total personnel would never exceed 46. Support personnel would be divided up to assist both the in-water training activity and the terrestrial training activity. Not all 26 support personnel would be in the water or on land at any given time because they would be dispersed between the two areas. Training events are progressive in nature and would range between 2 and 72 hours in duration depending on the activity. As training activities are scheduled, compatible sites within the training study area would be selected to support each training objective. To sustain the highest level of training value and avoid trainee familiarity with specific sites, site selections are made to create the most challenges for the trainees and be responsive to training requirements and 2 training qualifications. Not all sites within the training study area would be utilized over a 1- year period. Site selection would also consider seasonal conditions (e.g., high surf, strong currents, or high winds) and site conditions (e.g., scheduled public events or protected natural resources considerations). The travel of personnel and equipment from the staging area located at JBPHH to the individual training sites is incorporated into the overall training scenario and would utilize government and public waterways and roads. This minimal travel may include military support vehicles towing small boats and safety and maintenance equipment. It could also include transportation of military personnel involved in the safety and training phases of the event. Waterborne transportation would similarly include the movement of training vessels (e.g., small surface support vessels, jet skis), safety equipment, and military personnel from the staging base to the event location. Typically, submersibles are launched from boat ramps or surface support ships near the site where training activities are scheduled.