Congresswoman Hirono helps secure $34.7 million in Hawaii funding in FY2010 Agriculture Appropriations Bill

Washington, Oct 7, 2009 -- The U.S. House of Representatives today passed the FY2010 Agriculture Appropriations bill, which funded several of the requests Congresswoman Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) submitted to the House Appropriations Committee in April, including funding programs to protect communities from flooding, support Hawaii’s flower and other agriculture and aquaculture industries, and provide water to island farmers and ranchers. H.R. 2997 passed out the House by a vote of 263 yeas to 162 nays.

H.R. 2997 includes $34,731,000 in FY2010 funding for 21 projects in the State of Hawaii that Congresswoman Hirono requested. Many of the projects approved for funding were also requested by Senators Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka and Congressman Neil Abercrombie.

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“Agriculture is an important industry in my rural district; most of the research conducted on varieties, diseases, and pests for temperate agriculture in the rest of the nation does not apply to Hawaii,” said Congresswoman Hirono. “Not only is the state as a whole dependant on the importing of food, but each island also seeks to strengthen its agricultural capacity as each must depend on barges and air freight for interisland service. Maintaining a vibrant agricultural sector is also critical to preserving open space and the rural nature of the neighbor islands, both of which are essential for our visitor industry and quality of life.”

Congresswoman Hirono’s funded earmarks include:

$6,677,000 for Tropical and Subtropical Research (T-Star)

This funding supports collaborative efforts to address the unique challenges and opportunities faced by farmers in the tropical and subtropical regions of the United States. (Funds go to the Universities of Hawai‘i and Guam on the Pacific side and Universities of Florida, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands on the Caribbean side). Research is conducted to maintain and enhance production of tropical and subtropical agricultural products, while encouraging agricultural practices that are environmentally acceptable.

$5,000,000 for Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center Construction

This funding will enable the completion of construction of the Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center, a research facility dedicated to addressing the unique agricultural problems of Hawaii and the American Pacific. Funds appropriated by the Congress for the USDA Agricultural Research Service will enable this agency to complete construction of the final phases of this facility – primarily additional laboratories, a greenhouse, and an insectary.

$3,000,000 for APHIS Interline Inspections

This initiative provides for preclearance passenger baggage inspections for those interisland passengers departing neighbor island airports with subsequent connections to the U.S. mainland. Unless predeparture inspection funds are restored to at the authorized level of funding ($3 million), there will be major disruptions or lapses in the inspection of passengers and cargo destined for the U.S. mainland; or the State of Hawaii will be forced to pay the cost for a federally mandated quarantine to minimize inconvenience to mainland bound passengers.

$2,908,000 for U.S. Marine Shrimp Farming Consortium (Shrimp Aquaculture)

This funding will support an ongoing collaborative research project involving the University of Arizona, the Oceanic Institute (Hawaii), Tufts University (Massachusetts), the University of Southern Mississippi (Gulf Coast Research Laboratory), Waddell Mariculture Research Center (South Carolina), Texas A&M University, and Nicholls State University (Louisiana). This important program will help improve the commercial potential of existing and pending farm start-ups and help guarantee the future of domestic shrimp production.

$2,600,000 for Agricultural Pest Facility

This funding will be used to complete designing and preparing an environmental impact statement for a fruit fly rearing and sterilization facility in Hawaii. Having domestic capacity to rear Mediterranean fruit flies and domestic capacity to rear all varieties of established fruit fly pests is critical to any long-term control strategy. The facility will raise all of the species currently in Hawaii with the goal of helping to protect both mainland agriculture and ultimately to aid in reducing and possibly eliminating fruit fly populations in parts of Hawaii.

$2,230,000 for APHIS Wildlife Services in Hawai‘i/Brown Tree Snake Control

This funding supports U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s Wildlife Services operations in Hawai‘i, Guam, and the Pacific Islands which, in large part, helps prevent movement of Brown Tree Snakes from Guam to Hawai‘i. The Brown Tree Snake has devastated Guam’s endemic bird species; the snakes’ introduction into Hawai‘i, with its rich biodiversity and large number of endangered bird species that exist nowhere else on earth, would be an ecological disaster.

$2,000,000 for Upcountry Maui Watershed, island of Maui

The Upcountry Maui Watershed Project will supply irrigation water to farmers through a dedicated agricultural distribution system, which bypasses domestic water treatment facilities. The goal of the project is to increase the availability and reliability of irrigation water in the Upper Kula area of the island of Maui. Much of the project has been constructed with funding provided in previous years. Remaining phases involve bringing the water from the main pipelines to farmers.

$1,800,000 for Lower Hamakua Ditch Watershed, island of Hawaii

This ongoing project will improve the agricultural water supply to small farmers and ranchers along the Hamakua Coast of the island of Hawaii. The goal of the project is to alleviate the shortage of agricultural water along the Hamakua Coast by providing a stable, adequate, and affordable supply through the Lower Hamakua Ditch. This will entail the repair of the ditch system (originally developed for a now-defunct sugarcane plantation), which includes 9 miles of tunnel and 14 miles of open ditch.

$1,600,000 for Native Hawaiian-serving Education Grants

Funding provides a grant to the University of Hawaii, which has used this funding to orient education, training, and extension programs to identify market-based agriculture opportunities and to enhance the capability of the University of Hawaii campuses and partners to support agribusiness formation and incubation.

$1,438,000 for Tropical Aquaculture Feeds Research

This USDA program, administered by the Oceanic Institute, facilitates expansion of the U.S. aquaculture and aquatic feed industries and to assist suppliers and processors of agricultural byproducts and feed ingredients. It is dedicated to determining the nutritional requirements of promising tropical fish species, developing feed processing methods, and finding alternative local ingredients to replace diminishing supplies of fishmeal, most commonly used in feeds for aquatic species. The program has been responsible for groundbreaking research in aquatic feeds for Pacific white shrimp, mahimahi, Pacific threadfin (moi), and amberjack (kahala).

$1,400,000 for Agriculture Development and Resource Conservation

This funding will be used to continue stimulating agricultural development in Hawaii by providing training, management, and funding assistance through Hawaii's four Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Councils. RC&D Councils offer a proven community-based infrastructure that can tailor efforts to support sustainable development that is consistent with the unique needs of Hawaii’s varied rural communities.

$1,000,000 for Lahaina Watershed, island of Maui

The Lahaina Watershed project is needed to provide flood protection to residential and commercial lands in the southern part of the town of Lahaina and to reduce the amount of sediment entering nearshore waters. The plan calls for construction of a two-mile long diversion channel incorporating four sediment basins and a debris basin.

$700,000 for Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center Staffing

This funding will provide for additional staffing at the Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center in Hilo, Hawaii, to support the Center’s plans to add two new scientist positions in organic/sustainable agriculture and value-added/biofuels production. Developing multiple value-added products, such as livestock feed, from these biofuel crops will enhance their potential and create new lines of products that would ultimately make growing the crop more profitable.

$500,000 for Watershed Planning Program

Funding will be use to meet the urgent need for additional staff at National Resources Conservation Services-Hawaii to help meet the demand for watershed improvement and conservation projects across the islands. This funding would allow for the hiring of a resource conservationist, a hydrologist, an economist, and specialized consultants in order to continue work on planning projects for the South Kona Watershed, Lower Kula Watershed, Hanalei Cooperative River Basin, as well as the Hawaii Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program.

$469,000 for Honeybee Protection/Varroa Mite Containment Program

The funding will be used to suppress the varroa mite, which is devastating honeybee populations on the islands of Oahu and Hawaii, as well as prevent its spread to the other Hawaiian islands. Hawaii’s agriculture – coffee, macadamia nuts, fruits, and vegetables – rely on the free pollination services provided by wild honeybees. Honeybees are also important pollinators for endangered native plants. Varroa mites are killing Hawaii’s formerly parasite-free honeybees and threatening our economy and environment.

$400,000 for Agriculture Development in the American Pacific

This funding supports sustainable agricultural development in Hawaii and the U.S. territories through research and extension efforts at the University of Hawaii, University of Guam, Northern Marianas College, College of Micronesia, and American Samoa Community College. This program focuses on agricultural production, processing and export; improvement of personal health and nutrition; environmental improvement and capacity building at the Land Grant Institutions.

$300,000 for Floriculture in Hawaii

Funds will be used for research and development to produce new and unique cultivated plants and flowers to enhance the competiveness of Hawaii’s floral and nursery industries. While the industry remains strong, new invasive pest introductions are a constant threat, and increased competition from locations such as Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea, and Canada make it critical that Hawaii compete on the quality and uniqueness of its product.

$250,000 for Wailuku-Alenaio Watershed, island of Hawaii

This project will reduce the risk of damage due to flooding in Hilo. Three major elements of the project were constructed between 1979 and 1983. These measures have prevented flood damage as planned; however, additional elements are needed to provide full coverage. A Supplemental Watershed Plan and Environmental Impact Statement is in the process of being prepared and will be followed by design and construction of the final phase of this flood prevention project.

$200,000 for Prevention and Control of Invasive Termite Species in Hawaii

Termites are the most economically significant insect pest in Hawai‘i, causing some $150 million in damage to buildings each year. The Department of Defense, the construction and pest control industries, condominium associations, public utilities, and the public at large need cost-effective solutions. This funding will assess and improve methods of controlling termites in Hawaii and the Pacific region.

$153,000 for Agricultural Diversification (HI)/Tropical Fruit Industry

This project seeks to sustain the commercial viability of diversified crops in Hawaii (crops other than sugarcane and pineapple). The focus of the project is to provide scientific and outreach support services that enable Hawaii entrepreneurs to increase their revenues or profits by growing and selling tropical specialty fruits from Hawaii.

$106,000 for Hawaii Plant Materials Center, Molokai and Kahoolawe

This funding enables the Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission to reintroduce native plant species in their efforts to control invasive plants and erosion on the island of Kahoolawe. The specific activities funded are in direct response to the damage caused by U.S. military training activities. Kahoolawe is a sacred site to Native Hawaiians.

The 111th Congress increased accountability and transparency in the earmarking process. Every member’s appropriations requests are listed on that member’s website. Congresswoman Hirono’s requests can be accessed at http://hirono.house.gov/FY2010AppropriationsRequests.shtml.

Source: Congresswoman Mazie K. Hirono