Schatz Urges Administration to Engage with Hawai‘i Constituents on Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument

WASHINGTON – In response to suggestions that President Obama should utilize his authorities under the Antiquities Act to expand the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (PMNM), U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), a member of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard, recently wrote to the White House and urged that the administration send representatives to Hawai‘i to meet with key leaders and stakeholders before making any final decision on this issue.  The administration has assured Senator Schatz that it has not made any decisions regarding any potential expansion of the PMNM, and it will not do so until it has engaged directly with relevant Hawai‘i constituents.

“After meeting with interested Hawai‘i residents and leaders, my office has identified three important issues for our State in considering any proposal to expand the PMNM:  the new PMNM boundaries; the role of Native Hawaiians in PMNM governance; and funding for the scientific study and research of the PMNM,” Senator Schatz said.  “At my request, the administration has agreed to engage with Hawai‘i constituents to consider these issues, and I am grateful that the Obama Administration has responded positively.

“For Hawai‘i to support the proposed expansion, the new boundaries of the PMNM will have to make sense.  Residents of Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau have a strong interest in maintaining their longstanding culture of fishing, and I am prepared to stand with them to ensure their continued, unchanged access to their fishing grounds.  In addition, Hawai‘i has a long tradition of recreational and subsistence uses of the ocean including fishing, diving, canoe paddling, and sailing.  Finally, Hawai‘i’s longline fleet has a history of fishing in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.  The responsible and sustainable practices of our longline fleet have resulted in Honolulu becoming one of the nation’s ten most productive fishing ports. Any expansion of the boundaries of the PMNM will have to satisfactorily take these activities into account.

“Equally important, the PMNM holds special significance for Native Hawaiians, and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) has made a request for an enhanced role in governance of the monument.  I support OHA’s request for an enhanced role in governance, and I believe that an expansion declaration presents an ideal opportunity to address this issue.

“Finally, expanding the PMNM will create vast opportunities to better understand the unique ecology of our Hawaiian Archipelago, but this can only occur if sufficient funding exists for research, conservation, and management in an expanded PMNM.  Although the current fiscal climate limits the availability of federal funding, I believe that environmental groups, philanthropic organizations, corporations and individuals would consider significant financial commitments to support the expansion of the PMNM.  I am prepared to work with President Obama and his administration to explore these options.

“Provided these issues can be addressed to the reasonable satisfaction of interested Hawai‘i stakeholders, I am prepared to support the expansion.”