Abercrombie announces $192 million for Hawaii construction, $33 million for R$D

Provisions on chemical weapons, Makua and Kalaeloa and
Tricare also in Defense bill

Also approved were provisions related to chemical weapons at sea, Makua Valley, Kaleloa, and the Tricare health program for military retirees

The action came when the House approved the Fiscal Year 2007 National Defense Authorization Act.

As a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, Abercrombie played a key role in securing inclusion of the Hawaii provisions in the bill.

The Hawaii construction projects approved in the bill are:

Hickam Air Force Base

C-17 Fuel Cell Nose Dock

$25.0 million

Hickam Air Force Base

Restore C-17 aircraft apron and access road

$3.538 million

Kunia National Security Agency Operations Center

Facility replacement, Increment 4

$47.016 million

Pearl Harbor Naval Magazine

Fire Station

$6.01 million

(added to bill at Congressman Abercrombie’s initiative)

Pearl Harbor

Dredge West Loch Channel for T-AKE (ammunition ship)

$30.994 million

Pearl Harbor

Helicopter flight training facility

$4.324 million

Pearl Harbor

Site preparation, Mobile User Objective System

$13.02 million

Pearl Harbor

Replace Environmental Preventative Medicine Unit 6 Facility

$7.7 million

Schofield Barracks

Unit Operational Facility

$42.0 million

Schofield Barracks

Child Development Center

$12.5 million

“This construction will help the military and it will help Hawaii,” said Abercrombie. “Federal investment has always been a key element in our economy and it will remain important for the future.  The bottom line here is jobs, contracts and small business survival.  I worked hard to get bipartisan support for these projects, and I’m pleased to see those efforts paying off for Hawaii.

“We’re making a commitment to military personnel and the units stationed in Hawaii.  It reflects our determination to maintain an infrastructure that will support isle-based commands for decades to come.”

The bill also includes these provisions at Abercrombie’s request:

(1)    Authorization for the Defense Department to identify, survey, study and monitor

 unexploded ordnance dumped at sea by the military at the end of and after World War II, including chemical munitions in waters off Hawaii.

Abercrombie said: “No one knows exactly where these weapons are, how many tons are out there, what impact they’re having on health and the environment, or what we can do about it.  It’s important to start getting a handle on these questions. Operating from ignorance is the worst thing we can do. This issue has to be approached in a methodical manner, from a solid foundation of factual knowledge and sound analysis.”

(2) A requirement for the Navy to sell or lease 499 acres in the mauka portion of Kalaeloa (formerly Barbers Point Naval Air Station) by September 30, 2008. 

The area is designated for development in the Navy’s Ford Island Master Development Agreement.

“I’d like to get this area into the housing or commercial development stream as quickly as possible,” said Abercrombie.  “In planning for mass transit, it’s important that we be able to make provisions to serve the people who will live and/or work on this property”

(3) A requirement for the Army to study and identify by March 1, 2007, alternative sites to Makua Valley for live fire training exercises.

“We have to bring the Makua issue to some kind of resolution,” said Abercrombie.  “I’ve told the Army that if they choose another site for this activity, I’m confident our congressional delegation can secure funding for it.  It’s the only way to bring an end to the endless round of conflict and bad feelings connected with the use of Makua Valley for live fire exercises.” 

The bill also includes eight research and development projects for Hawaii at Abercrombie’s request:

Self-deploying Infrared Streamer

New sea rescue equipment for pilots and air crews

$4.0 million

Electro-Optic Passive Anti-submarine Warfare System

Passive (non-sonar) submarine detection technologies

$4.0 million

Retroreflecting Optical Communications for Special Operations Command

High capacity optical communications systems

$4.0 million

Air Sentinel

Unmanned aerial vehicle system and mission management software

$5.0 million

Marine Mammal Hearing Research

$2.2 million

High Accuracy Network Determination System

Ground-based satellite tracking system

$5.0 million

Mapping and Detection of UXO

New technologies to identify unexploded military munitions

$2.5 million

Immersive Group Simulation Training Demonstration

Virtual reality training system for U.S. Army soldiers in Hawaii

$6.5 million

“These technology projects strengthen Hawaii’s economy for tomorrow, as well as today,” said Abercrombie.  “They develop the sector that will be increasingly important in the future.  Ultimately, they mean more and better job opportunities for Hawaii residents in the 21^st century economy.”

Before sending the bill to the House floor, Abercrombie and other members of the Armed Services Committee rejected the Bush Administration’s proposals to increase health care fees paid by military retirees.  The bill includes no increases in monthly Tricare enrollment fees or co-payments for medical care.  It authorizes a small increase in co-payments for prescription drugs obtained from non-mail order pharmacies, with a corresponding reduction in co-payments for drugs supplied by mail order pharmacies.

“The Administration proposals were an attempt to take pressure off the Defense budget by shifting the weight on to the backs of military retirees,” said Abercrombie.  “That’s manifestly unfair.  The people who have dedicated their lives to serving our country are the last ones we should be saddling with this burden.”

-30-