OPSD Cumulative Effects/Impact Assessment Guidance in SMA Permitting

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development within 5 years from the issued date with potential time extension. In addition to including the effects/impacts that occur at the same time and place as the proposed action, the OPSD suggests that a minimum of 5 years or more as practicable before the application of a proposed action serve as a basic temporal parameter to scope past actions within a SMA for the purpose of cumulative effects/impacts assessment in SMA permitting. The timeframe of a long-range plan such as the county general plan and/or community plan, or the expected lifespan of a proposed project, whichever is longer, could be utilized as a maximum temporal scale to scope foreseeable future actions. To assess cumulative effects/impacts in a feasible way, the OPSD recommends a range as the temporal scale to scope foreseeable future actions in the SMA permitting process. The range would be from 5 years or more as practicable from the application of a proposed project as the minimum, and up to the lifespan of a structure or the operational life of a proposed project as the maximum. 5. SMA criteria in cumulative effects/impacts assessment With spatial and temporal scopes, cumulative effect/impact assessments in the SMA permitting process must be conducted under the provisions of the Hawaii CZM Law. The objectives and policies in the CZM law provide overarching guidance to the counties in their administration of the SMA permit system. These CZM objectives and policies cover: Recreational resources Historic resources — Scenic and open space resources Coastal ecosystems — Economic uses — Coastal hazards Managing development Public participation Beach and coastal dune protection Marine and Coastal resources Under the CZM objectives and policies, the SMA guidelines, articulated in HRS §205A- 26, apply specifically to the SMA permitting process. The SMA guidelines must all be factored into the assessment of any development proposed within the SMA. Compliance with the SMA guidelines must be achieved before an SMA permit can be approved. Therefore, the OPSD recommends that the counties apply temporal and spatial parameters with SMA criteria, as presented in Table 16, to account for cumulative effects/impacts of a proposed action on a SMA as follows: o Minimum 5 years or more as practicable before the application to scope past actions 5 Coastal resource means any coastal wetland, beach, dune, (shoreline), barrier island, reef, estuary, or fish and wildlife habitat, pursuant to the National CZM Act of 1972, as amended. s Each county may further develop its own cumulative effects/impacts assessment template. no