We feel that the reason the statewide scoping meetings were not well attended was because NOAA under-represented the nature of the meetings to Hawaii stakeholders in their public announcements. Over 80% of input to date has come from out-of-state parties. (we suspect special interest groups). Additionally, we are fearful that our elected officials are under the false impression that this is a long process that will include many opportunities for stakeholders to comment. We do not believe this to  be true. Included is a “Timeline” prepared by NOAA, that clearly shows the next official comment period is some 30 months away.

NOAA, through its own publications, Condition Report, Assessment, and Kohala Connection Publication, has proven that the purpose of the scoping meetings was nothing more than an effort to sell their agenda to the public. It was not a sincere effort to gather valuable input and enlist community involvement as their literature suggests. 

NOAA has failed to present credible evidence that they are capable of protecting additional species, or that the species they are proposing to include in the Sanctuary even need their protection. (please see all marked pages included in this package) We already have layers of state and federal laws that protect our ocean resources.

The State of Hawaii has been, and will continue to be, a safe place for the worlds ocean creatures to travel through and/or breed.  New laws and restrictions on the people of Hawaii will not protect any species from threats the encounter in foreign waters. We can ill afford to forfeit any additional lands to federal government control based on this flawed logic. Expansion of the Marine Sanctuary is bad for Hawaii. Especially at a time when budgets are being stretched and the survival of these species remains stable to improving.