The Department of the Air Force (DAF) encouraged participation throughout the development of the Tinian Divert Infrastructure Improvements Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS). Information gathered from the during the SEIS process was used to understand public concerns, inform the environmental analysis, and refine the project. Below is a summary of opportunities for public input that were provided during the SEIS process.

Public Scoping

Public scoping is an early and open process for identifying issues and alternatives to be addressed in an EIS and determining who (e.g., public and government agencies) is interested in the proposed action. While federal regulations do not require public scoping for an SEIS, the DAF determined that conducting public scoping for the Tinian Divert Infrastructure Improvements SEIS would help inform interested stakeholders, elicit valuable community input, and provide transparency through a mutual exchange of information. The public scoping process began with publication of the Notice of Intent in the Federal Register stating the DAF's intent to prepare an SEIS and ended on May 31, 2018. The DAF conducted one public scoping meeting on May 17, 2018 (ChST) on Tinian that was organized in a “come and go” format and provided informational materials about the Proposed Actions.

Draft SEIS Public Review and Public Hearing

A Notice of Availability for the Draft SEIS was published on May 17, 2019 in local newspapers and the Federal Register, announcing the availability of the Draft SEIS for public review. The Draft SEIS public review period ended on July 1, 2019. The Draft SEIS is available for download on the Documents page of this website and was also made available for review at the following document repositories:

Saipan- Saipan Mayor’s Office; Joeten‐Kiyu Public Library

Tinian- Tinian Mayor's Office; Tinian Public Library

The DSF also held one public hearing on Tinian to provide the public with the opportunity to learn more about the proposal and provide input. The public hearing began with an “open house” style format and poster stations, was followed by a presentation by DAF, and then was opened for formal public testimony. All members of the public were invited and encouraged to attend. Written and verbal comments were accepted at the hearing and a Chamorro/Carolinian interpreter was available at the hearing to assist with translation of meeting materials and written comments. During the public review period, the DAF also welcomed comments under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (36 Code of Federal Regulations 800) regarding the identification of or effects on historic properties, and requests to become a consulting party.