Mogethin and Welcome!
Welcome to the environmental planning website for the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed infrastructure improvements at the Yap International Airport and Yap Seaport.
This website is an online resource for information on the preparation of the EIS to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of the Proposed Action to perform various improvements, repairs, and upgrades to the Yap Airport and Seaport. The United States (U.S.) Department of War (DoW) proposes to construct improvements and conduct military training at Yap International Airport (Airport) and Yap Seaport (Seaport), located in Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). The Compact of Free Association (CoFA) governs the relationship between FSM and the U.S. and commits the U.S. to provide for the defense of the FSM. The proposed Airport and Seaport improvements would support the U.S. in fulfilling its defense responsibilities under the CoFA and provide a substantial investment in aging infrastructure for long-term use by Yap State. The improvements would also support U.S.-led multi-national military training including contingency response and humanitarian assistance training in the region.
Draft Environmental Impact Statement
The U.S. DoW, including the U.S. Pacific Air Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, is preparing a Draft EIS in accordance with Section 161(a)(2) of the CoFA, which dictates that the U.S. shall apply the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to its activities under the CoFA as if the FSM were the U.S. On April 14, 2026, the DoW will be releasing the Draft EIS for a 45-day public review and commenting period. The Draft EIS will explain the purpose and need for the project, describe alternatives that were considered, present reasonably foreseeable environmental impacts, and provide means for addressing significant impacts of making improvements to the Airport and Seaport.
Project Location
Yap State is part of the Caroline Islands archipelago in the Wester Pacific, stretching from Kosrae State in the east to the Republic of Palau in the west. It is the westernmost state in the FSM and includes several main islands and smaller outer islands that span over 100,000 square miles. Yap's four main islands, Yap Island, Tamili-Gagil, Maap, and Rumung, are collectively called Yap Proper or Wa'ab. Both the Airport and Seaport are located on Yap Island.
The Seaport is located on the southeast coast of Yap Island in Colonia Harbor. The project areas for the proposed Seaport improvements are focused at the Nungoch Peninsula, the public roadway that encircles Chamorro Bay, dredge material reuse areas in Rull and Tamil, and various locations within Colonica Harbor and the Colonia Harbor Entrance Channel (referred to as Waneday Channel), a deepwater channel through the island's fringing outer reef. Additional construction support areas would be located at various locations around Yap Island and Tamil-Gagil.
The Airport is located approximately three miles southwest of the Seaport. The Airport project area would include an expansion of the existing Airport boundary and additional temporary construction support areas in the Airport vicinity. Additionally, the roadway connecting the Airport to the Seaport would be improved as part of the proposed project.