OPSD Cumulative Effects/Impact Assessment Guidance in SMA Permitting

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6. Determining "Significant effect" and "Cumulative impact" Although not defined under HRS Chapter 205A, "Significant effect" and "Cumulative impact" are defined under the Hawaii Environmental Impact Statement law, HRS Chapter 343, and HAR Chapter 11-200.1, Environmental Impact Statement Rules, as follows: "Significant effect" means the sum of effects on the quality of the environment, including actions that irrevocably commit a natural resource, curtail the range of beneficial uses of the environment, are contrary to the State's environmental policies or long-term environmental goals as established by law, or adversely affect the economic welfare, social welfare, or cultural practices of the community and State (HRS, §343-2). "Cumulative impact" means the impact on the environment that results from the incremental impact of the action when added to other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions regardless of what agency or person undertakes other actions. Cumulative impacts can result from individually minor but collectively significant actions taking place over a period of time (HAR §11-200.1-2). Furthermore, HAR §11-200.1-13 has established significance criteria, including qualitative and quantitative thresholds, for determining whether an action may have a significant effect on the environment. The significance criteria include: — Irrevocably commit a natural, cultural, or historic resource; — Curtail the range of beneficial uses of the environment; — Conflict with the state's environmental policies or long-term environmental goals; — Have a substantial adverse effect on the economic welfare, social welfare, or cultural practices of the community and state; — Have a substantial adverse effect on public health; — Involve adverse secondary impacts, such as population changes or effects on public facilities; — Involve a substantial degradation of environmental quality; — Be individually limited but cumulatively have substantial adverse effect upon the environment or involves a commitment for larger actions; — Have a substantial adverse effect on a rare, threatened, or endangered species, or its habitat; — Have a substantial adverse effect on air or water quality or ambient noise levels; — Have a substantial adverse effect on or be likely to suffer damage by being located in an environmentally sensitive area such as a flood plain, tsunami zone, sea level rise exposure area, beach, erosion -prone area, geologically hazardous land, estuary, fresh water, or coastal waters; — Have a substantial adverse effect on scenic vistas and viewplanes, during day or night, identified in county or state plans or studies; or — Require substantial energy consumption or emit substantial greenhouse gases. The definitions and criteria for determining "significant effect" and "cumulative impact" set forth above are applicable in SMA permitting. The county authorities and county