Malama ‘Aina
|
Malama ‘Aina Malama ‘Aina As the representative with one of the most beautiful and ecologically diverse districts in the country, Congresswoman Hirono believes we must be responsible stewards of both our islands and the planet. She is committed to preserving coastal areas and open spaces in Hawaii, protecting rare native habitats and the endangered species that depend on them, and ensuring funding for our national parks and wildlife refuges. Nationally, Congresswoman Hirono has championed: · Protecting important wilderness areas, such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil drilling, old growth forests from logging, and the Grand Canyon National Park from uranium mining. · Defending our nation’s landmark environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act, among others. · Curbing greenhouse gas emissions and preventing the catastrophic consequences of global warming, which will hit the islands especially hard. · Moving to non-polluting renewable energy and greater energy efficiency. · Protecting our oceans from pollution (marine debris and ocean acidification) and ensuring sustainable use of our ocean resources, with particular attention on protecting coral reefs. · Conservation of wildlife species in Hawaii, in the mainland U.S., and internationally. · Strengthening regulations related to oil and gas drilling to protect coastal areas and other sensitive habitats. For Hawaii, Congresswoman Hirono has focused on protecting our precious natural heritage, which we hold in trust for future generations. Fully one-quarter of the species listed under the Endangered Species Act are found in Hawaii—and one-third of the bird species. These are species that exist nowhere else on the planet; in many cases they only exist on one island. This is our responsibility: we can’t leave it to future generations because we would have already lost what is irreplaceable. Among the keys to preserving what we have is protecting habitat (native forests, wetlands, coastal areas, coral reefs), controlling invasive species, and preventing the introduction of new ones. Preserving and restoring our native forests, for instance, has the added value of protecting our groundwater supplies and preventing erosion, which damages our coral reefs and fishing grounds. To address these issues, Congresswoman Hirono has introduced legislation to look at options for protecting coastal areas of Maui and Hawaii Island and to expand the Hakalau National Wildlife Refuge on Hawaii Island. She helped secure funding to restore Kawainui Marsh in Kailua, complete expansion of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on Oahu’s North Shore, address invasive species issues, and support national programs that bring money to Hawaii for state and county parks, species conservation work, and research at the University of Hawaii.
Working For Hawaii Congresswoman Hirono has consistently received the highest ratings from environmental advocacy groups, including Defenders of Wildlife and the League of Conservation Voters, for her voting record. Examples include: Addressing the Causes of Climate Change: Congresswoman Hirono was proud to vote for and witness passage of the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which passed the House in June 2009. This was the first time either chamber was able to pass legislation to address curbing emissions of the greenhouse gases responsible for global warming. Unfortunately, the Senate didn’t take up the bill. Standing Up for Our Long-Standing Environmental Laws: During consideration of the Fiscal Year 2012 Interior and the Environment Appropriations bill in the House, the House Majority included many provisions that undermined 30 years of environmental protections in the law. Congresswoman Hirono voted for an amendment to remove harmful language in the underlying bill that weakened protection of endangered species and against a variety of amendments to cut funding for the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to reduce pollution and increase energy efficiency. Ultimately, the badly flawed bill was pulled from floor consideration. It was described by many environmental groups as the most anti-environmental bill to ever come to the House floor.
Fighting Against Polluting Legislation: Congresswoman Hirono opposed the legislation that would allow companies to sidestep the Clean Air Act or Clean Water Act. For example, she opposed H.R. 2021, which would allow oil and gas companies to sidestep critical Clean Air Act protections and avoid commonsense limits on the pollution their offshore drilling operations dump into the air we breathe. The bill passed the House, but fortunately has not advanced in the Senate.
Opposing the Attacks on Clean Air: The TRAIN Act is the single biggest assault on the Clean Air Act in its over 40 year history. This reckless bill guts health-based clean air standards and blocks two of the most significant and long overdue clean air protections that reduce harmful pollution—like mercury, smog, and soot--from power plants, resulting each year in tens of thousands of premature deaths, more than 200,000 asthma attacks, and increased health care costs for families already struggling to make ends meet. Supporting Protection of Wilderness and Wildlife: Congresswoman Hirono has been a consistent champion of legislation to protect important and unique natural areas and wildlife. Examples of key legislation she has cosponsored includes: · H.R. 139, Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act, which would preserve the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as wilderness. · H.R. 1916, America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, which would preserve federal land of the red rock canyons in Utah as wilderness. · H.R. 3465, National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act, which would protect old growth forests in the National Forest System. · H.R. 1456, Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Reauthorization Act. · H.R. 1761, Marine Turtle Conservation Reauthorization Act. · H.R. 2111, Salmon Solutions and Planning Act. In addition, Congresswoman Hirono has advocated for funding each year for the Multinational Species Conservation Fund, the National Park Service, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and the National Wildlife Refuge System. She is a member of the Congressional National Parks Caucus and the Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus. Federal Commitments for Hawaii’s Environment Congresswoman Hirono has been a dedicated advocate for restoring our natural resources and protecting Hawaii’s native species. Her efforts have helped species and areas on almost every island, ranging from Kawainui Marsh on Oahu to Kaunakakai Stream on Molokai, where a project is working to restore the habitat of the endangered Hawaiian stilt. Since 2008, she has worked to secure commitments of more than $45.7 million for environmental restoration and projects, including more than $36.4 million for restoration and research projects and nearly $5.3 million to protect Hawaii from invasive species. Kawainui Marsh Environmental Restoration On the edge of Kailua, Oahu, lies Kawainui Marsh, the largest remaining wetland in Hawaii. For years, the Kailua community and environmental advocates have been working toward the restoration of Kawainui. The marsh has been recognized as the primary habitat of several endangered native birds, including the Hawaiian stilt, Hawaiian moorhen, Hawaiian duck, and the Hawaiian coot, and more than 60 other birds, fish and aquatic animals. It is also a place of great cultural significance with numerous nearby heiau (religious temples). Congresswoman Hirono was able to help secure $4 million toward completing the Kawainui Marsh Environmental Restoration Project. In July 2011, the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers signed a formal project partnership agreement for the Kawainui Marsh Environmental Restoration Project. The project intends to increase the populations of our endangered birds, reduce runoff, and remove invasive plants from the marsh. They will construct 11 terraced shallow ponds, a water supply system to the ponds and an earthen berm system. Construction of the project is scheduled to begin in June 2012. The James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on Oahu’s north shore is the home of the four Hawaiian waterbirds, the pueo or Hawaiian owl, and a variety of migratory shorebirds and waterfowl. In May 2006, President Bush signed legislation to increase the total acreage of the refuge from 342 acres to 1,100 acres. Congresswoman Hirono helped secure additional funding to the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Land Acquisition’s budget to complete the authorized land acquisitions. The Refuge is the largest natural coastal wetland and the last remaining natural coastal dune ecosystem on Oahu. With this purchase, the endangered native birds have a protected home. Mokuhinia/Mokuula Ecosystem Restoration, Maui, Hawaii Mokuhinia was originally a 17-acre pond along the West Maui shoreline and Mokuula was an inland island. In Hawaiian traditions, the pond is recognized as the home of the lizard goddess Kihawahine, the deity of the Maui royal family. Mokuula was even used as the royal residence of a member of the Maui royal family in the 1800s. Years later, in the early 20th century, Mokuhinia was filled to create a public park. While projects exist to undertake archaeological work and facilities to share the cultural heritage of the area, Congresswoman Hirono has worked to provide funding to look at the feasibility of the restoration of the Mokuhinia/Mokuula ecosystem. The project involves the development of wetlands that would provide habitat for endangered and native waterfowl species at a site that remains historically significant as the prior home of Hawaii’s royalty and alii. Brown Tree Snake Control on Guam Hawaii has been called the “endangered species capital of the world,” with more than 300 endangered native species and is the home of almost 25 percent of our nation’s threatened and endangered species. In particular, our islands have a large number of endangered birds that exist nowhere else on earth. According to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture, “this snake represents one of the greatest threats to Hawaii’s native species.” The brown tree snake has almost eliminated Guam’s native birds and the danger that it could do the same on Hawaii is very real. A major troop build-up is expected to occur in Guam to offset a reduction of troops in Okinawa. Moving supplies and personnel will increase flight operations in the Pacific Region and could increase the risk of brown tree snakes being introduced to Hawaii. It is critical that this not occur so Congresswoman Hirono has secured more than $1.3 million throughout her tenure in Congress to control the brown tree snake population. Hawaii Plant Materials Center, Molokai and Kahoolawe The island of Kahoolawe was dedicated to Kanaloa, the Hawaiian deity of the ocean, and was called Kohemalamalama O Kanaloa. It was a sacred site to the Native Hawaiians. But, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, with martial law imposed on the islands, Kahoolawe became a bombing range for the military. This continued until 1990, when President George H.W. Bush ordered the bombing to stop. Kahoolawe was devastated by the bombings and part of the United States’ kuleana is to help return this remote island to a habitable condition. The Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission (KIRC) was given the task to restore the eroded landscape. Congresswoman Hirono helped secure funding for the Hawaii Plant Materials Center to assist in this effort. The Center produced seeds that would survive in the dry climate and which were then reintroduced to Kahoolawe by KIRC staff. These dry land plants included pili grass, kawelu grass, aweoweo, and uhaloa. The Center also provided pili grass bales to help control erosion and help other native plants to grow as well. Protected Species Habitat Restoration at Kure Atoll Kure Atoll is the most northwestern island in the Hawaiian chain, more than 1,000 miles from Oahu and the most northern atoll in the world. The atoll and its surrounding waters support 155 species of reef fishes, 56 percent of which are only found in the Hawaiian archipelago. The atoll is also an important albatross breeding habitat and the lagoon supports a population of spinner dolphins. To help restore the habitat to its natural condition, Congresswoman Hirono secured a federal commitment of $25,000. This will help to fund the removal of invasive species, replanting the area with native plants, and removing marine debris. |
