Congresswoman Hirono Announces $10.5 Million Investment in Fish and Wildlife Service Projects Throughout the Hawaiian Islands
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Department of the Interior will undertake $10,534,000 in Fish and Wildlife Service improvement projects in Hawai‘i that will create jobs, as well as restore and protect the state’s fragile National Wildlife Refuges, Congresswoman Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai‘i) announced today.
The Hawai‘i project are as follows:
- $590,000 to replace the existing Pua ‘Âkala Barn with a new storage/maintenance building at Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge on the island Hawai‘i.
- $406,000 to replace housing and storage units on Laysan Island at the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge within the Papahânaumokuâkea Marine National Monument. Funding will also be used to replace the photovoltaic system on the island.
- $7,300,000 to construct an administrative headquarters and visitor center at Keâlia Pond National Wildlife Refuge. The new complex replaces the previous structure that burnt down in 2006.
- $120,000 to rehabilitate the historic Kîlauea Point lighthouse at Kîlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge on the island of Kaua‘i.
- $220,000 for the Pacific Island Coastal Program. The funding will be used to restore natural habitats on the islands of Moloka‘i, Maui, and Lehua Island near Ni‘ihau.
- $1,898,000 to rehabilitate the historic seaplane hangar at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. The funding will also be used to improve the atoll’s visitor housing units, as well as improve energy efficiency at its various facilities.
The projects are part of the $280 million investment in the Fish and Wildlife Service under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
All of the projects announced today are long-standing priorities of the Fish and Wildlife Service based on its capital planning process. Deemed by stakeholders as critical, the Fish and Wildlife Service worked through a rigorous merit-based process to identify investments that met the criteria put forth in the Recovery Act: namely, that a project addresses the Department’s highest priority mission needs, generates the largest number of jobs in the shortest period of time, and creates lasting value for the American public.
For a full list of Fish and Wildlife Service projects, please visit http://recovery.doi.gov/press/bureaus/us-fish-and-wildlife-service.
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