Washington, D.C. -- The U.S. House today voted to appropriate $18 million recommended by Rep. Neil Abercrombie as part of the $459.6 billion 2008 Defense Appropriation Bill.  The funds will allow work to begin on cleaning up tons of chemical munitions dumped offshore of Oahu at the end of World War II, and for military research and testing, including critical studies into the possible effects of naval sonar systems on whales and dolphins and the development of electronic systems to detect the presence of marine mammals in naval training areas.

“$5.5 million will pay for the first steps in mitigating this possible environmental time-bomb,” said Abercrombie, who chairs the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces.  “This includes sonar mapping, water quality testing and analysis so we know exactly what’s there, how much, and critically, what condition containers are in.”

Saltwater corrosion and possible leakage of the munitions over 60 years may have caused an environmental hazard. This program will map the seafloor at the dump sites with high resolution sonar, followed by video transects and direct observation with manned and unmanned submersibles.  Samples of water and sediment taken from surface ships and underwater will be analyzed for toxic compounds.  Plant and animal life in the area will also be collected and analyzed for toxic components.  Results of the analyses will be used to develop an assessment of the risk. Because of the large area of the disposal sites and the relatively small size of individual munitions, state of the art sonar and underwater vehicles will be used.

In funding the clean-up activities, the House Appropriations Committee encouraged the U.S. Army to conduct similar investigations into other ocean sites along the mainland where munitions have been dumped.  The Committee’s report expressed the belief that Hawaii’s ocean clean-up efforts should serve as a pilot project and template for work at any other sites.

The 2008 Defense Appropriation also contains $1 million for continuing research at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology into marine mammal hearing and the effects of underwater sound on the behavior of marine mammals, such as whales and dolphins — a problem that temporarily halted an annual international naval exercise in waters off Hawaii last year.  

“The development of more effective submarine detection systems for the Navy, commercial shipments, oceanographic research and energy exploration all utilize the introduction of acoustic energy into the oceans,” said Dr. Paul Nachtigall, Director of the Center’s Marine Mammal Research Program.  “But, while public concern over the effects of sonar on whales and dolphins is growing, the availability of reliable data from independent, academically sound, and established research on the effects of sound on marine mammals has been lacking.”

The bill also includes $3 million requested by Abercrombie for further research, development and installation of marine mammal detection systems on Navy aircraft, which would survey naval training areas before active sonar is used to avoid harming dolphins and whales. BAE Systems in Hawaii has been involved in the development of an airborne survey system that integrates known marine mammal migration patterns with real time sensors that automatically and harmlessly detect the presence, location, and movement of marine mammals.

“Data produced by this program are essential to Navy environmental programs, the establishment of safe active sonar and the well-being of marine mammals,” added Abercrombie.

Abercrombie also recommended $2 million for research into multi-sensor networks for space observation, $2 million for the development of data transmission using modulated laser beams, and $3 million for three other technology reserch projects.

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