PD BACKGROUND REPORT (PL-SPP-2022-000012)

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species and secondary growth in most areas, the permit area does not contain the quality of resources that would be important for native gathering. The EA concludes that, "While the gathering of natural resources from the Pana`ewa forest remains an important part of the cultural practices of this community, no explicit reference was made to such practices occurring in the actual area proposed for the quarry license, which has experienced extreme disturbance, is dominated by invasive trees, and other than isolated `ohi`a and hala trees does not contain other native trees or `awa. Because of the proposed location outside intact 'Chi`a forest, it is not anticipated that the proposed quarry project will impact these cultural practices, based on the information obtained through the consultation efforts. " 26. Public Access: There is no public access to the mountains or the shoreline that runs through the property. PUBLIC SERVICES AND FACILITIES 27. Access: Access to the permit area is provided by Ho`olaulima Road, a two-lane road within State land that the County maintains, with a meandering pavement width of about 30 feet that ranges in condition from excellent to poor. Ho`olaulima Road is an extension of Leilani Street that also serves the County's Hilo landfill, its sort station, greenwaste, and other county-operated facilities within the immediate area. According to the application, all quarry associated traffic will be accommodated solely by Ho`olaulima Road, thereby keeping all traffic generally within the County's solid waste processing complexes and internal roadway network. According to the Department of Environmental Management, the current use of rock haulers shall end once quarrying operations of the parcel commences. Instead, the applicant must use highway legal vehicles to haul quarried materials from the quarry site to the applicant's processing facilities. Furthermore, DEM requested that the applicant inform them of the starting date of the quarry operations. The applicant will utilize street-legal tractor-trailers for rock hauling which will double the number of vehicle trips due to their smaller size. Finally, according to the State Department of Transportation, no adverse impact upon State-owned highway facilities is anticipated. 7