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Case opposes exemptions
in defense spending billU.S. Rep. Ed Case said last week he voted against the federal government's defense authorization bill for fiscal year 2004 because he could not accept the "unnecessary exemptions" it grants to the military from key environmental and marine protection laws.
He said the issue is particularly important to Hawaii because it is home to the "most at-risk species in our world -- native plants, birds, monk seals, porpoises and whales," Case said.
While Case said he supports Hawaii's military, the former state representative noted that he is convinced current laws strike a difficult but satisfactory balance.
He said current laws already allow the military to seek exemptions where training and national security needs are compelling, and those permits have been granted.
Water ceremony sought
Supporters of a bill that creates a traditional Hawaiian water expert slot on the state Commission on Water Resource Management want Gov. Linda Lingle to hold a public ceremony when she signs the bill.In a letter Friday to Lingle, the group of attorneys, professors and others told the governor Senate Bill 1594, HD1, is one of the few measures to benefit Hawaii's environment in the 2003 session. The bill creates a position on the Water Commission for a member with "substantial experience or expertise in traditional Hawaiian water resource management techniques and in traditional Hawaiian riparian usage."
"Appointment of a commissioner who understands the customs and needs of the native Hawaiians will also serve the community at large by enabling informed decision-making," said the letter from Kapua Sproat, Denise Antolini, Isaac Hall, Casey Jarman, Marjorie Ziegler, Donna Wong, Alan Murakami, Jeff Mikulina, William Tam and Kaipo Faris. They also want to be involved in the selection of the new member.
The governor has signed nearly 80 bills into law so far this year, but not all of them have been done at a public signing ceremony.
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