Ka`u News Briefs Thursday, July 20, 2017

     “Coral reefs are an important part of Hawai`i’s marine environment and generate hundreds of millions of dollars to our economy every year,” said Hirono. “Even as the Trump Administration denies the existence of climate change, it is critically important that we invest in the science that will help us respond to the very real threat of climate change, maintain a healthy coral reef ecosystem, and recover from recent serious bleaching events.”

     The federal funding announced today will help improve management of coral reef ecosystems, support greater capacity to enforce coral reef protections, promote increased understanding of the key threats to reef ecosystems at priority sites, and continue progress toward implementing the objectives of the Hawai`i Coral Reef Strategy.

    The grant funding is part of a cooperative agreement between NOAA and the State of Hawai`i Division of Aquatic Resources to support the protection of coral reefs across the state.

    Earlier this year, Hirono co-introduced legislation with Rep.  Colleen Hanabusa to address increasing threats to coral reef ecosystems due to climate change.

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS ARE BEING ROLLED BACK SUBSTANTIALLY, according to Sen. Brian Schatz. "While we’ve been focusing our efforts on stopping the various Republican health care proposals that would leave millions uninsured, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has been quietly working to rollback more than 30 environmental regulations." In a statement released today, Schatz pointed to The New York Times, which called it “a regulatory rollback larger in scope than any other over so short a time in the agency’s 47-year history.”
     According to the Hawai`i Senator, "Pruitt is moving quickly because he believes that with the focus on health care and the Trump administration’s Russia ties, no one is watching the

Hawai`i Sen. Brian Schatz

EPA. We have to show him that’s not true." Schatz asks for those who are concerned to sign a petition to
"stop dismantling our environmental rules."
    Says Schatz, "When Donald Trump nominated Pruitt to run the EPA, we held the Senate floor through the night to give example after example of his record of denying the facts of climate change and history of undermining rules that protect our clean air and water.
     "And when Pruitt issued memos outlining a new rulemaking process at the EPA in March, I teamed up with Senators Markey and Whitehouse to write a letter seeking assurance that the EPA would make decisions based on science and what’s best for the public -- not just for oil and gas companies. Now, exactly what we feared is happening: Pruitt is working with corporate lobbyists to dramatically weaken industry regulations designed to curb pollution and combat climate change.
     "There are so many fires to put out with this Administration. But we can’t let Scott Pruitt undo so much of the progress we’ve made," declared Schatz.

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DIABETES SELF-MANAGEMENT EDUCATION, updating IT for a Dental program, and Bay Clinic’s Breast Cancer Prevention initiative have been awarded $25,000 from Hawai`i County.
     Bay Clinic’s Women’s Health and Diabetes Self-Management Education programs are accessible by all regardless of income level or insurance status. "Health screenings are important because they may reveal risk factors, behavioral and health conditions that put you at risk for diseases. For example, risk factors like high cholesterol, high blood pressure or obesity may lead to heart disease, diabetes, or cancer," says a statement from Bay Clinic.