Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Rail EIS must weigh alternatives too
by Larry Geller
For a breath of sanity, please check out this article by environmental activist Henry Curtis on his Transforming Hawai`i blog:
Honolulu's Light Rail Draft EIS
There are rumors that the Honolulu Mass transit proposal has eliminated all alternatives except the preferred solution. This can't be so, as it would invalidate the EIS.
At a minimum, the Draft EIS must cover at grade and elevated rail, elevated toll road, expanded bus service, alternative technology and alternative routes and spurs.
Henry details the process. Along the way, we learn that decisionmakers must consider all the alternatives discussed in an EIS.
Will Mufi take his medicine if the EIS favors an alternative to rail? Not likely. So I’m grateful that Henry is being vigilant on this. Check out his blog.
Henry obviousely has no idea about the project. An Alternatives Analysis (or MIS basically) has been completed which eliminated many of the alternatives he talks about. In other words it was the first phase that eliminated certain alternatives. Then there is an EIS which evaluates the alternatives left over against a baseline of No Build. Anyone can recite laws. Understanding the process is what is important. Mr. Curtis does not understand the process.
: July 3, 2008 at 6:38:00 AM HST << Home
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