Honolulu Reporter

(Washington, DC) –  Congressman Ed Case’s (HI-01) U.S. House Committee on Appropriations approved two key measures – one funding national defense programs and one funding energy and water programs – that are among twelve bills to collectively fund the federal government for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 (commencing October 1, 2023).

The FY 2024 Defense Appropriations bill proposes to spend $826.4 billion for federal agencies and programs in the Department of Defense (DoD) and intelligence community, including the military branches of services, the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency. Case is a member of the Committee’s Subcommittee on Defense with jurisdiction over the bill and all covered programs.

The Committee provided an additional $106 million for Red Hill, on top of the $2.1 billion provided in FY 2022 and FY 2023. The Committee also included provisions to improve the oversight of the military’s actions regarding Red Hill. The military would be required to submit quarterly reports to Congress on its actions to comply with the State of Hawaii’s regulatory rulings, address the individual health care needs of service members and their families that were affected by the crisis, improve water quality testing surrounding the facility, improve efforts to engage with the community, and move the fuel to other locations in the Indo-Pacific.

The bill also includes $9 billion for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI), which bolsters U.S. military capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region. PDI is a key subset of the department’s efforts and investments that strengthen regional deterrence needed to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific.

“My Committee’s Defense bill recognizes Hawaii’s continued critical role through investments in facilities, personnel and institutions that are integral parts of our overall efforts, in addition to major contributors to our local economy,” said Case.

“In addition, the bill continues the critical oversight needed to keep military on track to close Red Hill and help those dealing with the health impacts from the devasting fuel leak.”

The FY 2024 Energy and Water Appropriations bill proposes to spend $55.2 billion to support deployment of energy technologies and flood and waterway projects through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), including key areas in Hawai‘i especially the Ala Wai, Waikīkī and Honolulu Harbor.

“My Committee’s energy and water funding bill follows up on my successful inclusion of the Waikīkī Beach stabilization and restoration project in the federal Water Resources Development Act (WRDA),” said Case. “That request authorized a project to restore ecosystems and address the impacts of climate change and sea level rise on Waikīkī Beach, which is so central to our local recreation and visitor economy,” said Case.

WRDA is the measure authorizing USACE to conduct water resources development projects and studies throughout the nation. It also establishes federal policies to address inland and coastal flooding, improve our ports and inland waterways, address the unique needs of communities across the country and ultimately strengthen the U.S. economy.

Through his assignment on the Committee, Case secured $500,000 as a Member-designated Community Project Funding (CPF) that specifically focus on local needs in Hawai‘i. The project will fund USACE feasibility study for ecosystem restoration and storm water management for the Waikīkī shoreline. The feasibility study is the critical first step in securing further funding for a future major USACE project.

The House’s CPF rules require that each project must have demonstrated community support, must be fully disclosed by the requesting Member, and is subject to audit by the independent Government Accountability Office. Case’s disclosures are here: https://case.house.gov/services/funding-disclosures.htm.  

“Unfortunately, even with these proposed resources for Hawai‘i, I could not support the measures in their current forms,” said Case.

“The defense proposal slashes funding to critical climate change programs, restricts female service members’ access to reproductive health, degrades our nation’s civilian defense workforce and more. Similarly, the energy and water bill simply guts many key programs in both areas that would advance needed energy and water initiatives in several areas including climate change, renewable energy and energy resiliency.”

Defense Funding Bill

Military related programs and provisions requested and secured by Case include:

1. Over $106 million towards the decommissioning of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, environmental remediation, state and local community engagement in Hawai‘i and building a more distributive fuel infrastructure for the Indo-Pacific. This is in addition to the $2.1 billion previously secured by Congressman Case and his delegation colleagues.
2. Funding for two Virginia-class fast attack submarines, which are critical to protecting the Indo-Pacific and will be maintained at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard.
3. $345 million for the Navy’s Environmental Restoration program, which is $10 million over the President’s budget request, plus an additional $232.8 million for the environmental restoration of Formerly Used Defense Sites. These funds will help accelerate efforts to remediate per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) contamination and remove unexploded ordnance and discarded military munitions in Hawai‘i and throughout the nation.
4. $40 million to advance development of a next-step radar system to protect Hawai‘i from missile attacks.
5. $5 million for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s Community Engagement Initiative to strengthen the ties between the military and the local community.
6. $5 million to expand the intelligence community’s efforts to work with a university in Hawai‘i to develop a career development program for students.
7. $150 million for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which maintains critical scientific laboratories at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
8. $178 million for the Sea-Based X-Band Radar, which will help defend Hawai‘i from ballistic missile threats.
9. $180 million for the Readiness and Environmental Protection Initiative (REPI). The DoD created the REPI program in response to land development and loss of habitat in the vicinity of or affecting military installations, ranges and airspace that can lead to restrictions or costly and inadequate training and testing alternatives. Through REPI, DoD works with state and local governments, conservation organizations and willing private landowners to address these challenges to the military mission and the viability of DoD installations and ranges. For 2023, REPI will provide $10 million for four projects in Hawai‘i, which will be coupled with $18.5 million in partner contributions. These projects will preserve and protect cultural, natural, and land resources across the state near four Hawaiʻi - based installations - Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands, Pōhakuloa Training Area, Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i, and U.S. Army Garrison–Hawai‘i.
10. $11 million for the Asia Pacific Regional Initiative, a key program supporting U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. This program enables the military to execute Theater Security Cooperation activities, such as humanitarian assistance and paying incremental personnel costs of training and exercising with foreign security forces. The initiative is a critical tool for the U.S. military to strengthen relationships throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
11. Over $280 million for “Civil-Military Programs,” to include support for Hawaii’s Youth Challenge Academy.
12. $168 million for the Defense Community Infrastructure Pilot Program, which last year provided $2.5 million to the State of Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources on Hawai‘i Island in conjunction with the Army’s Pōhakuloa Training Area.
13. $1.2 billion for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP), including $583.5 million for cancer research. The CDMRP fills research gaps by funding high impact, high risk and high gain projects that other agencies may not venture to fund.
14. Over $70 million or Impact Aid programs, which includes Impact Aid for children with disabilities. Out of a concern for possible discrepancies and inconsistencies, the Committee also called for the Director of the Department of Defense Education Activity to submit a report on how local educational agencies receive this funding.
15. Blocked efforts to change the command and control structure of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. There have been efforts within the department to streamline control of forces under one command structure, which would limit the ability of Navy forces in Hawai‘i to respond quickly to changing threats in the Indo-Pacific region.
16. Continued military contracting preference language for Native American tribes and Native Hawaiian Organizations.
17. Continued support for providing humanitarian and similar assistance by using Civic Action Teams in Freely Associated States.

The measure also includes:

1. $300 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. This is in addition to $6 billion for the Initiative, and $9 billion to replenish United States stocks of equipment sent to Ukraine, provided by the recent Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act.
2. $22 million for the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN). The NSIN is a government program office that collaborates with major universities and the venture community to develop solutions that drive national security innovation and has small business participants in Hawai‘i.
3. $1.2 billion investment in drug interdiction and counter-drug activities, including increased funding for counter-narcotics support and the National Guard Counter-Drug Program.
4. Full funding necessary to support the proposed 5.2% military pay raise.

Energy and Water Bill

Energy and water related programs and provisions requested and secured by Case include:

1.       Language directing the USACE to assist indigenous communities in coastal areas, including Native Hawaiians, as well as other vulnerable coastal communities to address coastal resiliency and flooding.

2.       $8.5 million for USACE’s Coastal Ocean Data System, which funds high-resolution observations and models of coastal ocean waves and shoreline change.

3.       $40 million for flood control and coastal emergencies efforts.

4.       $170 million for hydrogen and fuel cell technology development.

5.       $9 million for aquatic ecosystem restoration.

6.       $470 million for Advanced Research Projects for Energy Technologies Programs.

7.       $100 million for marine power technology development.

8.       $10 million for the USACE’s National Coastal Mapping Program.

9.       $1 million for the USACE’s beach erosion and hurricane damage reduction activities.

The bills now move onto the full House of Representatives for consideration.

A detailed explanation of the defense funding bill is available here.  A detailed explanation of the energy and water funding bill is available here. Case’s remarks in Committee on the defense measure are here.

Original source can be found here.