Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 12, Number 1, 1 January 1995 — State gets Kaho ʻolawe funding [ARTICLE]

State gets Kaho ʻolawe funding

One year after Congress set aside more than $400 million for the eleanup of Kaho'olawe, the state of Hawai'i received the first eheek for its share of the funds. In November, then-Gov. John Waihe'e accepted $5.5 million on behalf of the Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission (KIRC) from the U.S. Navy, represented by Rear Admiral Gordon S. Holder, Commander, Naval Base Pearl Harbor.

'Today marks another giant step towards righting past wrongs as far as Kaho'olawe is concerned," Waihe'e said. In pledging funds toward the 10-year project, Congress mandated that the state receive 1 1 percent of all monies

appropriated to the Navy for the eleanup and environmental restoration of the island, whieh underwent bombing by the military for some 50 years. The $5.5 million is part of $50 million dedicated to planning the work ahead. A year ago, the Navy received $60 million without stipulation that Hawai'i receive its 11 percent. "The last year has been frustrating. not being able to move forward with out work, and losing valuable time

from our 1 0-year eleanup deadline," said KIRC chairman Noa Emmett Aluli. "We are, however, happy to have finally received funding so that we may begin to plan for the future uses of

the Reserve, to manage its surrounding waters, to re-vege-tate its barren areas, and to restore its cultural, archeologieal, and religious sites. "The receipt of these monies marks a significant milestone and sets an important foundation in our efforts to work cooperatively with the U.S. Navy towards our joint, and congressionally mandated, goal of cleaning up and restoring Kaho'olawe."