HIRONO TAPPED TO FILL TEMPORARY VACANCY ON KEY SENATE COMMITTEE FOR HAWAII

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono announced today she will accept a temporary seat on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Hirono was selected by her colleagues to fill the seat that became open after New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg’s death. She will sit on the Committee until October.

“Hawaii’s environment – one of the most biodiverse in the world – is not only the foundation of the state’s unique heritage and identity, but it is also the bedrock of our economic stability and prosperity,” Hirono said. “As our nation’s only island state, we recognize that climate change’s impacts, water management issues and traffic congestion pose real threats to businesses that create jobs in tourism, agriculture and other industries, weakens our quality of life, and makes it harder to achieve our food and energy security goals. I’m honored that my colleagues have asked me to serve on the Committee that oversees these and other issues that are critical to ensuring that we are responsible stewards of our natural resources and in turn can pass on a strong, sustainable economy to future generations.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid praised Hirono’s hard work and success collaborating with her colleagues in her first six months in the U.S. Senate.

“Senator Hirono has quickly earned the respect of her colleagues for her diligence, her thoughtfulness, and her problem-solving approach to the issues. I know she will represent Hawaii well in her new position on the EPW Committee,” said Reid.

The Environmental and Public Works Committee is charged with overseeing federal laws like the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, laws for the improvement and maintenance of our highway, water, and other public works infrastructure, and other matters related to economic development and responsible stewardship of our nation’s environmental resources.