Full Senate Approves 74 Million For Hawaii Commerce, Justice, Science Projects

November 5, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – Senate Appropriations Chairman Daniel K. Inouye announced today that the full Senate has approved $74,753,000 for Hawaii commerce, justice and science initiatives including protection for marine wildlife, climate change research, and programs for at-risk, rural youth.

The federal funds for Hawaii-related projects were approved as part of the Fiscal Year 2010 Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Bill.

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The bill passed by a vote of 71 to 28, with Chairman Inouye and Senator Daniel K. Akaka supporting the bill. The bill must now face a joint House-Senate Conference and final approval by the Senate and House, before it is transmitted to the White House.

“Maintaining safe communities is a core responsibility of government. We must protect our residents from crime and fund programs that take criminals off the streets and help repair the lives of victims,” said Chairman Inouye. “Our environment and marine life must also be preserved and protected. This measure funds critical climate change research and helps with the study and preservation of the marine ecosystem and endangered species.”

“Department of Justice funding in this bill will help Hawaii discourage delinquency and crime, bring criminals to justice, address and meet the needs of victims, and promote a fairer and more just society,” said Senator Akaka. “This bill also bolsters science and technology with support for ecosystem based management, preserving the endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal, strengthening our understanding of climate change, improving warning systems for public safety, and furthering science education at the 'Imiloa Astronomy Center.”

Details of initiatives approved by the Senate are as follows:

NOAA

Hawaiian Sea Turtles and Incidental Take $7,800,000
Longline fisheries have significant interactions with Pacific sea turtles and other Pacific marine mammals. As a result, the Pacific Islands turtle program and related marine mammal programs have both a research and management component. With both a domestic and international component, these programs provide critical recovery and damage mitigation efforts. Activities include: improved stock assessments for four Pacific sea turtle species and other marine mammals; status reviews under the ESA; and development of new gear technologies to reduce bycatch.

Hawaii Longline Observer Program $7,100,000
These funds will be used to (1) ensure Hawaii’s basic 20% observer coverage is maintained, (2) provide for the 100% observer coverage level required under the re-opening of the swordfish fishery, and (3) the continuation and expansion of the Native Hawaiian Observer Program, which was established by the National Marine Fisheries Service to enhance community outreach and involvement in fishery management and enforcement issues.

Pacific Islands Regional Office/Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center $5,003,000
These funds are necessary for the basic costs of administration and operation of the NOAA Pacific Islands Regional Office (PIRO) and Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC). PIRO and PIFSC were established in April 2003 with the intent of employing regional expertise to provide improved customer service and stewardship of living marine resources within the expansive area of the Western Pacific. The offices play a critical role in managing a diverse suite of issues while minimizing the effects of fishing on marine mammals and endangered and threatened species.

Domestic Fisheries Monitoring, including Support for Regional Fishery Management Organizations (RFMOs) $5,000,000
PIFSC faces two significant new responsibilities with respect to domestic fisheries management. The first is a result of requirements under the Magnuson Stevens Act (MSA) reauthorization. The MSA requires stock assessments and annual catch limits for all managed fish species as well as a reporting system for recreational catch. However, currently, PIFSC has had funding to assess only some of the pelagic species and some of the Hawaiian insular species, which represents a very small fraction of managed species in the Pacific Islands Region. The second new responsibility for domestic fisheries science in the Pacific region is an increase in the level and scope of scientific support for Regional Fishery Management Organizations (RFMOs).

Pacific Coastal Services Center $5,000,000
The NOAA Pacific Service Center’s (PSC) primary goal is to promote resilient and sustainable island communities through projects that integrate global, science-based approaches with local knowledge of the resources. Through close and intensive dialog at the state and local levels, the PCS develops or modifies NOAA products that will meet the communities’ needs, thus ensuring relevance and long-term sustainability to its clients. The PSC continues to improve the products and services it provides for facilitation of partnership development, information exchange, promotion of effective safe navigation, and mitigation of impacts from catastrophic and chronic natural hazards.

Hawaiian Monk Seals $4,000,000
The Hawaiian monk seal is the most endangered seal in the United States and one of the world’s most endangered pinnipeds. Endemic to the Hawaiian archipelago, the Hawaiian monk seal is the only endangered marine mammal whose natural range is found entirely within the territorial waters of the United States. This species is in crisis: the population is in a decline that has lasted 20 years and less than 1300 monk seals remain. These funds will be used to support continuing and increased efforts to monitor the monk seal population, conduct further biological and ecological assessments, and to identify and mitigate factors that are impeding the recovery of the species.

NOAA Integrated Data and Environmental Applications Center $3,000,000
Funding for the NOAA IDEA Center enables NOAA to develop new integrated data products and environmental applications; engage partners and stakeholders to identify information needs and assess current capabilities; analyze system needs and requirements to more effectively connect and coordinate environmental data programs and activities in the Pacific; undertake targeted workshops to explore critical issues; and support regional and global observing systems and programs.

Western and Central Pacific Fishery Commission Big-Eye Tuna Quotas $3,000,000
This funding will provide stop-gap relief for Hawaii fishermen whose BET quota limitations are anticipated to be met by the end of summer. If Hawaii fishermen are no longer allowed to fish for BET, it is feared that they will lose their market to foreign fisheries. Funding would provide the dual benefit of allowing Hawaii longliners to use U.S. Territory quotas, which would assist in the development of the fisheries of neighbor territories, and allow the U.S. longline fleet to compete effectively. All funding will go directly to temporary relief while policy and enforcement changes are pursued.

Pacific Marine Monuments $2,750,000
($750,000 for PIRO and $2.0 million for PIFSC)
Under Presidential proclamation, NMFS and the Fish and Wildlife Service are responsible for the co-management of the Pacific Marine National Monuments. NMFS has regulatory responsibility to manage marine fisheries, both commercial and non-commercial. PIRO will actively participate, in consultation with the FWS, as a Monument management partner in perpetuity. This level of funding will allow for enhanced capacity of PIRO to effectively manage the fisheries by amending existing Fishery Management Plans and regulations; coordinating management actions with constituents and partners; developing and/or consulting on Monument management plans; developing a non-commercial fishing permitting system; and developing a management-driven research plan.

Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology Coral Research $2,250,000
This funding allows HIMB to continue research support for NOAA on coral and Hawaiian Archipelago research topics. The primary goal of the partnership is to develop best practices for the maintenance of healthy coral reef ecosystems in Hawaii and globally. This effort has produced considerable new scientific knowledge, helping resource managers make critical management decisions: the Hawaiian Archipelago is not a single highly-connected ecosystem; Johnston Atoll appears to be a potential gateway for biodiversity; humpback whales winter in the archipelago; and diseased corals in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands appear to be associated with an alien introduction.

Remote Infrasonic Monitoring of Natural Hazards $2,000,000
This funding will continue a collaborative research project between the University of Hawaii and the University of Mississippi on applying infrasonic monitoring technology toward natural hazards. This project leverages an investment through the Department of Defense in the development of infrasonic monitoring technology, by applying to the problem of detecting, monitoring, and assessing natural hazards. The specific natural hazards in this proposed effort are volcanic eruptions, extreme weather, large ocean swells, and tsunami.

Marine Education Program $1,750,000
The funding will support NOAA’s efforts to continue development and implementation of an integrated system-wide science education program for Hawaii that will have national applicability. The goal is to use the oceans and beaches as a classroom to teach science to Hawaii’s children. This year’s efforts will focus on integration of Grades 3 - 8 curriculum writing as well as the creation of classroom and field activities to support an integrated design for an eventual K-12 marine science curriculum state-wide. The program strengthens the Hawaii Department of Education science curriculum offerings while promoting topics vital to NOAA’s mission.

B-WET Hawaii $1,500,000
The B-WET Program strives to create a population knowledgeable about the environment by supporting organizations that use the outdoors as the context for learning. All funded projects are intended to provide meaningful educational experiences for students, as well as professional development opportunities for teachers in the area of environmental education. B-WET programs provide the foundation for the next generation of marine scientists and coastal managers.

Cetaceans $1,500,000
This project will support the study, research, and protection of cetaceans in the Pacific, including false killer whales. Funding for PIFSC cetacean research will ensure implementation of ESA and MMPA mandates related to western and central Pacific cetaceans, including adequate stock assessments that provide sufficient information to identify threats to cetacean populations; determination of the impact of fishery interactions on cetacean populations; and prevention and mitigation of legal action from conservation groups to compel research and conservation activities.

International Pacific Research Center $1,500,000
The International Pacific Research Center (IPRC) is one of the only institutions conducting systematic and reliable climatographic research over the entire Pacific region. Funding is used to increase understanding of climate variability in the Asia-Pacific region by developing the computational, data management, and networking infrastructure necessary to make data resources readily accessible and usable by researchers and by undertaking data-intensive research activities. The IPRC will provide the data-serving infrastructure necessary to integrate the various components of the Pacific Integrated Ocean Observing System and carry out research activities that provide scientific interpretation of the ocean environment in the Pacific.

Hawaii Seafood Safety and Sustainability $1,500,000
The purpose of the Hawaii Seafood Program is to help the Hawaii fishing and seafood industry become more competitive in the U.S. seafood market and sustain itself by pro-actively addressing current and emerging concerns about the sustainability of the fishery and the safety of its seafood products.

Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research $1,250,000
The Pelagic Fisheries Research Program (PFRP) conducted by the Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research is a wide-ranging primary and applied research program funded by a grant to the Joint Institute on Marine and Atmospheric Research. It supports the study of basic life history and biology of a number of target and incidental catch pelagic species important to Hawaii, as well as a broad range of socio-economic studies, through a competitive peer reviewed process. The results of the research are used by NOAA develop and implement strategies for the conservation and management of pelagic species in the Western Pacific.

Magnuson-Stevens Marine Education and Training $1,000,000
(For joint funding between Hawaii and Alaska) Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization authorized a regionally-based Marine Education and Training program, in cooperation with the Pacific and Western Pacific Fishery Management Councils. PIRO and the Alaska Regional Office, will work together to establish and maintain this program. The program will attract under-represented populations into marine-related professions, incorporate local and traditional knowledge into ecosystem-based management, increase ocean literacy and facilitate educational partnerships within and between regions. Initial programs will be based on current stakeholder needs and capabilities, but eventually as partnerships develop, a broad suite of marine education and training programs will incorporate all required aspects of the listed components.

Hawaii Coral Reef Initiative $1,000,000
The Hawaii Coral Reef Initiative (HCRI) supports scientific research and monitoring to enhance Hawaii’s capacity to manage its coral reef ecosystem. Funding will continue to support monitoring and research activities that focus primarily on alien species, water quality, population structure, and recruitment of keystone species in the main Hawaiian Islands. The funds will also continue public education and awareness activities that strengthen capacity to better manage the main Hawaiian Islands’ coral reef ecosystems. Results are used to provide resource managers with information to help them effectively and efficiently prevent, and possibly reverse, resource degradation.

Hawaii’s Marine Fund $1,000,000
The Hawaii Community Foundation, the Nature Conservancy, Conservation International, and the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation have forged a common vision to improve Hawaii’s nearshore marine environment. Fishers, conservationists, community leaders, business executives, and others are coming together to increase the number and diversity of fish surrounding our islands. This funding will allow for development of the ten-year Hawaii Seascape Strategy. The Hawaii Community Foundation will oversee implementation of the Strategy and distribute funds from the Hawaii Marine Trust Fund.

Western Pacific Integrated Ecosystem Assessments $500,000
This project supports implementation of the Hawaiian Archipelago Marine Ecosystem Research (HAMER) Plan. No funding has been assigned for this activity to date; however, PIFSC researchers have developed the HAMER Plan using existing labor. To support Integrated Ecosystem Assessments (IEAs), PIFSC has developed the Hawaiian Archipelago Marine Ecosystem Research (HAMER) Plan. The plan is a 10-year, multi-agency, collaborative program that will advance ecosystem science and resource management in Hawaii. The Hawaiian archipelago is an exceptional natural laboratory and its geography and scale makes it a unique place in the world to address emerging ecosystem issues.

Hawaii Fisheries Development $400,000
In light of many species facing overfishing, and an increased dependence on imported seafood, aquaculture is rapidly becoming an integral component of sustainable seafood. The goal of the Hawaii Fisheries Development Program (HFDP) is to generate new information, technologies, and products to assist both fishery management and marine finfish aquaculture development in Hawaii and throughout the United States. FY 10 work will continue to scale-up the culture of flame angelfish and yellow tang. The project will also initiate broodstock collection for deep water snappers of commercial interest or other targeted species.

NIST
Hawaii Open Supercomputing Center (HOSC) $5,000,000
This project establishes a financially sustainable high performance supercomputing capability with implications for agriculture, medicine, and astronomy. Funding will support the initial open computing system, storage and networking equipment, software, any minor facilities upgrades and startup operating costs with the intention that the facility will become self-sustaining after two years. HOSC will serve federal agencies, private companies and University of Hawaii projects that have requirements for unclassified computing capabilities. Several projects in Agriculture (documenting fruit fly genomes in order to protect agricultural products), Biomedical Sciences (cancer bio-repository) and Astronomy (managing and processing Pan-STARRS data) will be served by this capability.

NIST Pacific Islands Program – Biodiversity Storage $750,000
Funding will provide a plan for the expansion of NIST capabilities and resources into the Pacific Islands Region. The facility will be established in the State of Hawaii in association with NOAA/NMFS Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, USGS Biological Resources Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, and the University of Hawaii. The facility will establish NIST technical staff in Hawaii including: a NIST lead scientist, 4 analytical/bioanalytical chemists, 2 specimen banking scientists, and an administrative assistant.

NASA
Imiloa Astronomy Center $2,500,000
Imiloa celebrates Hawaiian culture and Mauna Kea astronomy; providing an example of science and culture united to advance knowledge, understanding and opportunity. Its strategic imperatives are: (1) Show annual progress toward a sustainable business model, (2) Bring astronomy and Hawaiian culture to increasing numbers of teachers, students and their families, (3) Play a vital role in maintaining public support for astronomical research, (4) Become a place of celebration and learning. This project capitalizes on the revitalization of the Hawaiian language to engage Hawaiian and other youth in sciences while maintaining pride in their cultural identity.
Department of Justice

Hawaii Rural Youth Program $2,500,000
The Rural Youth Crime Prevention Program, a collaborative effort between the YMCA of Honolulu and the Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii, targets rural communities statewide for ages 10 through 17 years. The YMCA of Honolulu is designated the lead agency for delivery of program services in rural Oahu; the Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii is the lead agency for service delivery in rural communities on the neighbor islands. Hawaii’s rural communities lack the resources to provide positive out-of-school alternatives for most of their youth populations, and this project will help at-risk kids and teens to make better choices.
Hawaii Integrated Justice Information Sharing (HIJIS) $2,000,000
This project would build on the cooperative foundational agreement among state and local law enforcement officials to integrate their databases to provide integrated access to records at all levels of the justice system. The funding requested in this grant would enable the State to 1) expand its pilot project to other jurisdictions (e.g., Honolulu), 2) to automate additional information exchanges (such as Court warrant issuance and disposition reporting), 3) implement technologies that will enable HIJIS information sharing, and 4) continue and expand the strategic planning and tactical development of the HIJIS program.

A Child Is Missing – Hawaii $500,000
State of Hawaii (ACIM is headquartered in Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
Recognizing that children and elderly adults can become lost and disoriented in the urban and suburban areas of Hawaii, I am pleased that the bill includes $500,000 for A Child Is Missing (ACIM) - Hawaii. ACIM currently operates in 49 states but not in Hawaii, where its advanced telephone-based computer system only recently became available. That system can place 1,000 phone calls every 60 seconds to residences and businesses in the area where a missing child or adult was last seen. This initiative will provide that critical rapid response to assist law enforcement agencies in Hawaii to locate missing children and adults.

State Courts Improvement Initiative $500,000
The National Center for State Courts (NCSC) was founded in 1971 by the Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ), the Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA), and former U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren E. Burger. Today, the NCSC serves as a think tank, forum, and voice for 30,000 judges (and 20,000 courthouses) in the state court system in the 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa, where annually 98 percent of court filings are submitted. This request funds the implementation of the NCSC's State Courts Improvement Initiative, which will increase support services to judges, administrators and other personnel in the state court system. Improving the operations of the state courts will help shape and Americans' understanding of and confidence in the nation's judicial system.

Sexual Assault Response Services $400,000
In Hawaii, as in the rest of the nation, sexual and domestic violence persists, as does the need for programs and services that address such violence and meet the needs of victims. For nearly four decades, the Sexual Assault Response Services of the Hawaii County and Kauai County YWCAs, have offered a 24/7 sexual assault hotline, 24/7 on-call crisis intervention, and support for victims of sexual assault and violence through the medical examination and legal services process, individual/group therapeutic counseling, and case management. I am therefore thankful that this bill includes $400,000 to enable the Hawaii and Kauai County's YWCAs continue their critically needed services.

Hawaii Innocence Project $300,000
Because there may be Hawaii prisoners with credible claims to actual innocence who have exhausted their appellate rights and their rights to counsel, I appreciate that the bill includes $300,000 for the Hawaii Innocence Project. Founded in 2005 by Hawaii attorneys in partnership with the William S. Richardson School of Law, this project, in which law students work alongside practicing criminal defense attorneys, provides pro bono assistance to Hawaii prisoners who no longer have access to legal resources but who may be innocent of the crimes for which they were convicted, and whose innocence may now be proven through technology unavailable at the time of their trials. The possible exoneration of any wrongfully convicted individual will help to serve the cause of justice.

Ka Wili Pu Project $300,000
Like other political jurisdictions across the nation, Hawaii has pursued collaborative, community based delinquency prevention programs targeted to at-risk youth. I am therefore pleased that this bill includes $300,000 for Ka Wili Pu (Native Hawaiian for "the blend"), a project that would provide 400 at-risk youth on Maui with adult guidance and adult role models and one-on-one instruction to bolster their self-esteem, self-confidence, school attendance, and academic performance and dissuade them from becoming truants and dropouts. By encouraging at-risk youth to remain in school, fulfill their promise, and avoid a problematic future with few meaningful options, Ka Wili Pu promotes a healthier and more stable society.

Human Rights Alliance $200,000
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) acknowledges that immigrant women,particularly indigent women, are a specific and often overlooked at-risk group. InHawaii, the Hawaii Immigrant Justice Center (HIJC) is the only agency providingpro bono civil legal services to indigent immigrants, particularly immigrant womenwho are victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. For many years, the HIJChas coordinated and delivered comprehensive assistance to indigent immigrantwomen through a cost-effective delivery of legal, medical, psychological, and socialservices that would otherwise have required the intervention of a range of otherpublic agencies and at far greater cost. I am pleased that this bill includes $200,000or the HIJC to enable the agency to continue to perform its good work, which notonly assists immigrant victims of sexual violence but places them on a path to selfsufficiency that will, in time and over the long term, mitigate the effects of crime andpromote family and social stability.

Source: Senator Daniel K. Inouye