Opinion ID: 2599575
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Failure to Conduct an EA

Text: Three plaintiff members of the Sierra Club present sufficient evidence to sustain a belief that HTA failed to conduct an EA. Margery H. Freeman averred that she has relied upon environmental assessments in the past and that HTA did not complete one in regard to its marketing plan. Blake Oshiro averred that HTA did not complete an EA prior to implementing its marketing plan. David Kimo Frankel averred that he has reviewed and commented on EAs and EISs in the past to develop policy recommendations. He averred that he testified and submitted comments to HTA and received a number of public documents from HTA, including copies of the marketing plan, the request for proposals that HTA distributed, the minutes of the meeting at which HTA selected its vendor for the marketing plan, and a letter confirming HTA's selection of its vendor. In none of these documents is there a reference to an EA. The unmistakable inference from Frankel's efforts to obtain all relevant public documents is that he was attempting to obtain a copy of the EA, but that none existed. Moreover, in its written briefs to this court and at oral argument, HTA never claimed that it had performed an EA and has consistently maintained that it was not required to do so. Based on the foregoing, Sierra Club has met its present burden to establish that HTA did not conduct an EA.