The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is proposing to construct a facility on 6.8 acres of State-owned land in Hilo. The USGS facility will replace the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) whose existing buildings in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park were irreparably damaged by the 2018 Kīlauea eruption. The facility will also be the new home of the USGS Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center (PIERC), currently located in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.  

A Final Environmental Assessment (EA) and Finding of No Significant Impacts (FONSI) was prepared for the project in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Hawai'i Revised Statutes (HRS) Chapter 343 and Chapter 11-200.1 Hawai'i Administrative Rules. 

Notice of the Final EA and FONSI will be published in the May 23, 2023, edition of the State of Hawaii Environmental Review Program's "The Environmental Notice," available on the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development website. 

The Final EA and FONSI will be available for viewing or download, starting May 23, 2023, at:

https://files.hawaii.gov/dbedt/erp/Doc_Library/2023-05-23-HA-FEA-USGS-Hilo-Research-Facility.pdf

Comments on the Draft EA were addressed and included in the Final EA (Chapter 6 and Appendix G).

Thank you for your interest and participation in the environmental review process.