Inouye projects supported, Schatz says

Hawaii has the support of key members of the U.S. Senate to continue federal funding for a host of initiatives championed by the late Sen. Dan Inouye, ranging from the Honolulu rail project to Native Hawaiian education and health care, U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz said Wednesday.

"We have some work to do, but we have very good support from the chair of the Appropriations Committee, Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), and she’s going to do everything she can to be supportive of Hawaii," Schatz said during an interview at his Honolulu office.

Schatz said his priorities include continuing to deliver funding for University of Hawaii research and the East-West Center.

Schatz, who was appointed in December to replace Inouye, will stand for election in 2014 and hopes he can point to a record of maintaining the federal funding Inouye brought to Hawaii.

Schatz said he would work with Sen. Mazie Hirono and members of the House of Representatives during the next round of budget talks to keep the funding stream for Hawaii projects "as whole as possible."

"It’s important to remember that we are in a budget environment where everyone is going to receive some kind of haircut. But the key is to remember that all of the key projects and priorities that Hawaii has been able to develop over the years stay viable," Schatz said.

Schatz, who served as the Abercrombie administration’s point man on renewable energy as lieutenant governor, said that when he got to Washington, he was pleasantly surprised to discover that Hawaii has a reputation for being a leader in efforts to integrate more solar and wind power into the electrical grid.

"They’re very interested in what we’ve been able to accomplish through the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative," Schatz said. "What that means is we will continue to have the commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy and the Department of Defense. It also means that we are becoming known nationally and internationally as a clean energy test bed," Schatz said from his office on the seventh floor of the Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Federal Building with a panoramic view of Oahu’s South Shore stretching from Diamond Head to Aloha Tower.

Schatz declined to comment on a resolution introduced by state lawmakers in Hawaii calling for Congress to create a narrow exemption from the Jones Act that would allow foreign-built ships to carry cargo directly from the mainland to Hawaii. The 1920 law, designed to support the U.S. shipbuilding industry, is cited by opponents as one of the reasons for high shipping costs in the U.S.

"Just to be clear, I’m a supporter of the Jones Act. I think it’s important to have control over our shipping infrastructure nationwide both for national security reasons and for reasons related to keeping labor and environmental standards high," Schatz said. "And particularly for Hawaii, it’s critical that we have reliable shipping, and that’s got to come from within the United States."

Schatz has used his expertise in energy policy to help co-author his first piece of federal legislation, a draft bill that would put a price on carbon pollution. Under the legislation Schatz drafted with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., the nation’s largest polluters would have to pay a fee for each ton of pollution they release.

"Sen. Whitehouse and I have gotten more support than has ever been found in the United States Senate for putting a price on carbon," Schatz said. He said the bill would likely be combined with several other similar measures into a single vehicle that could be moved to the floor either later this year or next year.

Schatz learned Wednesday that he won the endorsement of the Hawaii Building and Construction Trades Council for the 2014 election. The Council represents 11 unions.

"We’re honored and pleased. One of the areas of common ground that we’ve been able to find is the need to invest in infrastructure — transportation infrastructure, maritime infrastructure and hospitality," he said.

"Obviously on the campaign side of this equation it’s very very helpful to have so many credible organizations support us so strongly and so early," Schatz said.

Schatz, who at age 40 is Hawaii’s senior senator, said his busy schedule since arriving in the District of Columbia hasn’t given him much time to explore the nation’s capital. He’s renting a townhouse on Capitol Hill just a few blocks from his office.

Schatz said his wife and children, who are continuing to live in Honolulu, will be spending the summer with him in Washington.