Congresswoman Hirono Announces $11 Million for Hawaii Projects
in House-passed FY2008 Interior Appropriations Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Congresswoman Mazie K. Hirono announced passage in the U.S. House of Representatives of the FY2008 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. The bill provides $27.63 billion in funding for the Department of Interior, the Forest Service, the Indian Health Service, and arts and cultural agencies—a 3 percent increase over the FY2007 level of funding and 8 percent more than the Administration’s request.
“The Interior Appropriations bill makes long-overdue investments in our nation’s national parks, national wildlife refuges, and environmental protection,” said Congresswoman Hirono. “Our new majority provided much-needed increases for the National Park Service (9 percent), the Fish and Wildlife Service (6 percent), and the Environmental Protection Agency (5%).”
The bill also makes climate change research a key priority. It boosts federal investment in climate change research at Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Interior Department by 53 percent and, in response to the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in April, compels the EPA to begin developing a process for regulating greenhouse gases.
Several important Hawaii projects were funded in the bill, including:
• $2,673,000 for brown tree snake control efforts to prevent introduction of this pest to Hawaii. Introduction of the brown tree snake into Hawaii would be a major ecological disaster. The snake has virtually eliminated the bird population on Guam and would likely doom our highly endangered native forest birds to extinction.
• $1,989,000 for the Kealakekua Ranch Forest Legacy Project. The funds will complete acquisition of a conservation easement to protect important native forests, which support populations of endangered plant and bird species.
• $2,215,000 to replace an aging fuel farm at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. The tank at the Refuge is in danger of failing, which could result in a major fuel spill in this Refuge. Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge provides critical nesting habitat for seabirds as well as for the endangered monk seal and threatened green sea turtles.
• $4,545,000 for replacement of the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center.
“I was pleased to see that one of my high priority requests, acquisition of land to expand the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, received an appropriation of $5 million in the Senate bill that was reported out of Committee,” said Congresswoman Hirono. “I visited the Refuge last month and was greatly impressed by the important work the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is doing to protect habitat for our endangered native Hawaiian water birds.” The expanded refuge will also provide protected habitat for sea turtles and possibly monk seals.
Congresswoman Hirono will be following up with the federal agencies regarding some of her other appropriations requests that were not funded in the bill, including ensuring continued funding for the Endangered Hawaiian Forest Bird Recovery Program and acquisition of the Great Crack property on the Big Island for addition to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
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