Navy and NASA Receive Valuable Public Input on Real Estate
Environmental Analysis

The Navy and NASA held three public meetings in July 2025 to support the public involvement process for the PMRF and Kōke‘e Park Geophysical Observatory (KPGO) Real Estate Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

A Draft EIS for the proposed real estate action was made publicly available on June 20, 2025. In the Draft EIS, the Navy proposes to retain the use of 8,172 acres of state lands (684 acres of leaseholds; 7,488 acres of easement lands) on Kaua‘i in support of continued and ongoing military training, testing, and facility operations at PMRF. NASA proposes to retain the use of 23 acres of state lands (16 acres of leaseholds; 7 acres of easement lands) on Kaua‘i in support of maintaining data collection efforts of global significance at KPGO. The Proposed Action is needed because the existing real estate agreements for these state lands are set to expire between 2027 and 2030. Navy use of these state lands is required to maintain technological and safety capabilities supporting PMRF training and testing. Navy training and testing operations do not occur on these state lands. The environmental effects of these training and testing operations are fully analyzed in previous, focused environmental documents.

Public involvement is an integral part of the environmental planning process. The public has an important role in providing input to help the applicants (Navy and NASA) and the accepting authority for the State EIS (Board of Land and Natural Resources) make more informed decisions about the proposed real estate action. At the July meetings and through an online portal, the Navy and NASA received verbal and written input on the Draft EIS from citizens, state and local government officials and agencies, and other stakeholders.

Each public meeting included a livestreamed broadcast, public comment opportunity, and information stations. The public was encouraged to attend any of the public meetings to talk story, learn more, and submit written or oral comments either in person or online. More than 160 people attended the public meetings, either in person or online.

The Navy and NASA value and welcome input from the community, as well as the chance to share, communicate, and inform the community about the Draft EIS and the need for the real estate agreements. Through the public involvement and stakeholder engagement process, the Navy and NASA provided more than a dozen briefings to stakeholders and received 177 oral and written comments from the public. These comments are now being considered in the development of the Final EIS. For additional information, please visit the EIS website at PMRF-KPGO-EIS.com.

The Navy and NASA thank you for your comments on the Draft EIS!