A draft report assessing the potential economic impacts of the designation of critical habitat for 46 threatened and endangered plant species on the of Molokai has been released by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for public review. In addition, the public comment period on the proposed critical habitat designations has been reopened, and a public meeting to answer questions about the proposal and economic analysis has been scheduled on August 26.
The informal public meeting is scheduled from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Mitchell Pauole Center Hall. A formal public hearing will be held on Molokai in September.
The draft economic analysis, as required by the Endangered Species Act, will help the agency to determine whether the benefits of excluding areas from critical habitat designation outweigh the benefits of including them. The draft report indicates that the proposed designation of seven critical habitat units on Molokai would have "modest" economic impacts since much of the land is unsuitable for development and is within the State of Hawaii
