Friday, March 27, 2009
KITV: 37 EIS done since the Superferry started operation
by Larry Geller
Nice bit of research over at KITV. Too bad our newspapers couldn’t do it, but here it is:
37 EIS Published During Superferry Operations
Most Environmental Studies Take 9 Months To 1 Year…The Hawaii Superferry has been forced out of business because an environmental impact statement was not prepared before it began operations in August 2007. A KITV investigation found that 37 other projects, some of them very controversial as well, have published environmental impact statements during the time the Superferry has been operating in Hawaii.
The article mentions specific projects that successfully completed their EIS.
It’s fashionable at the moment to blame those who opposed the Superferry for its shutdown, but when the dust settles, perhaps it will be clear that Hawaii could have had a ferry running without environmental challenges quite some time ago, had the EIS process been completed as it was for all these other projects. It still can have a ferry service in the future, after an EIS is finished.
In the interest of accuracy, it should be pointed out that six of those "EISs" cited were actually EIS preparation notices, which do not take a lengthy time to prepare, and at least two of the EISs were final versions of drafts already on the list.
Still, 29 is still a large number and shows what can be done with the right will.
: March 28, 2009 at 11:11:00 AM HST 
I also think the report is misleading because the Superferry sought an exemption in 2005, not when it started operating in August/November 2007. If we are to assume that Anonymous' 29 is the yearly average. That means that about 100 EISs have been published since they got their exemption (which was 2 years before they started operating).
Line, that count was more than a year's worth. According to KITV, that tally of studies is from August 2007 to this month, or about 19 months. And from a statistical point of view, I don't think you could safely make that kind of extrapolation with that amount of data.
However, you make a good point about how long they evaded the issue.
: March 29, 2009 at 2:45:00 PM HST << Home
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