Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008

Floor Speech

CONSOLIDATED NATURAL RESOURCES ACT OF 2008 -- (Senate - April 10, 2008)

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Mr. AKAKA. Madam President, today, I express my support of S. 2739, the Consolidated Natural Resources Act. I commend the chair and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for their leadership and the work of their staff on this important legislation. This bill represents a bicameral-and-bipartisan supported package of bills. It has many good initiatives that demonstrate our commitment to be responsible stewards of our national treasures and historic sites. The legislation also has targeted provisions that address unique circumstances and issues occurring in the Pacific region.

I express my support for titles VII and VIII of S. 2739 that relate to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, CNMI, and the Freely Associated States, the Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.

The CNMI is a group of islands located east of the Philippines and south of Japan. Following World War II, the United States administered the islands under a United Nations trusteeship. In 1975, the people of the CNMI voted for a political union with the United States. The 1976 covenant enacted by Congress gave U.S. citizenship to CNMI residents and extended most U.S. laws to the CNMI. However, the covenant exempted the CNMI from U.S. immigration law. As a result of the CNMI's policies, today the population has increased fivefold, from 16,000 to 80,000. This growth has made both U.S. citizens, and the indigenous people of the islands, minorities in their own communities.

This legislation meets the Federal Government's interest in further implementation of the covenant, securing our borders, and in the establishment of stable immigration and labor policies on which the CNMI can build its future. The provisions included in title VII are identical to those passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on December 11, 2007. As the sponsor of the companion CNMI bill, I am pleased to report the CNMI provisions contained in S. 2739 are sensitive to the special circumstances and to the current economic downturn in the CNMI. The legislation provides a basis to transition the CNMI to Federal immigration laws, while protecting the local economy. These provisions are crucial to address the immigration abuses that have persisted in the CNMI for the past 20 years.

As chairman of the Subcommittee on National Parks, I am particularly pleased to join Senator Wyden in including a provision on cooperative agreements that will protect the natural resources on our national parks. Title III of S. 2739 will give the Secretary of the Interior the authority to enter agreements with Federal, public, nonprofit organizations, and even private landowners to protect our coasts, wetlands, and watersheds contained within and outside of national park boundaries. This act supports collaborative efforts that will greatly benefit generations of park visitors.

Just as important as having cooperative agreements is the ability of these entities to work together and use them to combat the spread of invasive species. Invasive species are one of the greatest threats to our natural and cultural heritage. Invasive species are the primary cause of decline in Hawaii's threatened and endangered species, and cause hundreds of millions of dollars in damages to Hawaii's agricultural industry, tourism, real estate, and water quality.

One very successful public-private partnership in my State is occurring at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the island of Hawaii. The Ola'a-Kilauea Partnership is a cooperative land management effort involving State and Federal entities and willing private landowners. This partnership has jointly fenced 14,100 acres on State and private lands and eliminated the feral pig population from 9,800, while also controlling feral pigs in an additional 4,300 acres.

There are other examples, such as efforts on the island of Maui. I am proud to mention the work of the Maui Invasive Species Committee, which brings together the resources of individuals, and the Federal and State governments to collaborate and combat invasive species. One of the barriers they have faced in the past is the inability to spend Federal funds on projects that treat invasive species on lands adjacent to national park borders, where there is a clear and direct benefit to parks. This bill will provide the necessary authorization to support such efforts. This is especially vital as such cooperative agreements focus cooperative action to reduce invasive species on our national parks and other lands across the country.

The cooperative agreement provisions of Title III provide a very important step in controlling invasive species that are crossing geographic and jurisdictional boundaries. Land managers and other involved governments and organizations will have another tool to help address their invasive species management issues. Also it will allow the Secretary of the Department of Interior to protect park resources through collaborative efforts in lands within and outside of National Park System units.

I stand in strong support for the Consolidated Natural Resources Act. I encourage my colleagues to join in keeping our precious national resources and historic sites available for future generations, as well as meeting the needs of the Pacific region.

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