Schatz: Hawaii will receive more than $240 million in earmarks

Hawaii will receive $263 million in congressionally directed spending this year, including more than $240 million in earmarks, U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz announced on Wednesday.

“Earmarks are back and that means more federal money for agencies and worthy nonprofits that serve local communities,” said Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “We did very well this year and are bringing home millions in new federal funding — and all of that will go directly into our communities.”

As defined by the federal Office of Management and Budget, earmarks are funds directed by Congress for specific projects that are not subject to executive branch merit-based or competitive allocation processes. Often associated with corruption and waste, earmarks were banned in 2011 but revived, with safeguards, amid negotiations for last year’s omnibus spending package.

The funds requested by Schatz and his congressional colleagues and earmarked for Hawaii will go to projects that establish, support or expand infrastructure, farming, the environment, health care, education, housing and other areas.

As usual, the largest earmarks are for the military, including $64.5 million to modernize the electrical distribution system at Marine Corps Base Kaneohe to support installation resilience, $55 million to complete construction of the U.S. Army Pacific’s new mission command facility at Fort Shafter; $19 million for planning and design of the Homeland Defense Radar-Hawaii; and $8.8 million for planning and design of a new, permanent Air Force Research Lab facility.

Other sizable earmarks include $23 million to Maui County to move a segment of Honoapiilani Highway to make it more climate resistant; $10 million to Hawaii County to support the construction of a 16-unit emergency shelter, 48 permanent housing units and other social services infrastructure for people experiencing homelessness; and $10 million to the City and County of Honolulu to purchase electric buses and charging infrastructure for use along the Route 40 (Honolulu-Makaha) corridor.