Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

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Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill, the Continued Rapid Ohia Death Response Act of 2022. This bill requires the Secretary of the Interior to continue partnering and collaborating with the Secretary of Agriculture and the State of Hawaii to address Rapid Ohia Death, ROD. ROD is a fungus, Ceratocystis, that was first found in Hawaii in 2014 and has since killed over a million native Ohia trees. Since then, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service has partnered with the State of Hawaii and the U.S. Department of the Interior in efforts to detect and respond to the spread of ROD. Sustained efforts, such as those supported by this bill, are necessary to protect Ohia trees, which comprise 80 percent of Hawaii's native forests.

Over the past 8 years, ROD has been detected on Hawaii Island, Kauai, Maui, and Oahu. Efforts are currently underway to educate the public to reduce the spread, research transmission vectors of ROD such as humans, beetles, ungulates, and weather events, and test ROD resistant varieties of Ohia. This bill directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the U.S. Geological Survey, to continue providing resources for the purposes of researching ROD vectors and transmission. It also requires the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to work with the State of Hawaii and other local stakeholders on ungulate management in control areas on Federal, State, and private land. Finally, the bill requires the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the U.S. Forest Service, to continue providing resources to prevent the spread of ROD and restore the native forests in Hawaii and to also continue to provide financial and staff resources to the Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, IPIF, located in Hilo, to continue research on ROD.

The bill authorizes $5 million in appropriations for each fiscal year from 2023 through 2033 for both the Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior to carry out these actions, which are necessary to protect and restore Hawaii's most abundant native tree--Ohia--for future generations. ______

By Ms. HIRONO:

S. 4884. A bill to require the Secretary of the Interior, in coordination with the Secretary of Agriculture, to establish a joint natural infrastructure science program, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

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Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill, the Natural Infrastructure Act of 2022. This bill requires the Secretary of the Interior, in coordination with the Secretary of Agriculture, to establish a Joint Natural Infrastructure Science Program. This program, which would be a joint effort by the U.S. Forest Service FS and the U.S. Geological Survey USGS, would seek to further research on the use of natural solutions to address evolving infrastructure needs across the country. The bill also requires the Secretary of the Interior to assess the costs and effectiveness of select natural infrastructure projects on an annual basis.

The bill defines natural infrastructure as constructed landscape features and systems that employ nature-based solutions that promote, use, restore, or emulate natural ecological processes. These features, when compared to grey infrastructure solutions, are often more cost- effective, increase community resilience to climate change impacts, and attract community support. The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that our country's need for infrastructure repairs through 2025 totals over $4 trillion. In order to meet our country's short- and long-term infrastructure needs, research is needed to inform the decisions being made by the people charged with addressing these infrastructure needs--civil engineers, local governments, developers, and the construction industry. The Joint Natural Infrastructure Science Program established by this bill directs USGS and FS to work with colleges and universities to advance ongoing natural infrastructure research efforts to inform future infrastructure projects. The bill also establishes a stakeholder advisory group to inform the Secretary of the Interior on appropriate research topics to be assessed by the Joint Natural Infrastructure Science Program.

The bill authorizes $4 million in appropriations for each fiscal year from 2023 through 2033 for both the Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior to implement the Joint Natural Infrastructure Program. Additionally, the bill requires the Secretary of the Interior to publish an annual report on no fewer than 30 natural infrastructure projects across the country to assess the cost and effectiveness of the projects as well as provide recommendations on ways to improve future natural infrastructure projects in terms of construction, costs, and effectiveness. The selected projects should be diverse in terms of both geographic location as well as project type. These reports, coupled with the research generated by the Joint Natural Infrastructure Science Program, will help inform future infrastructure projects as we seek out cost-effective solutions all across the country that maximize human and environmental benefits in the face of evolving challenges, including the increasing impacts of climate change.

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