HR 135 Summary

• Urges the Department of Land and Natural Resources to work with the International Scientific and Technology Advisory Board on Underwater Munitions to seek federal funding for non-destructive disposal of underwater munitions in Hawaiian waters.

• Identifies thousands of tons of conventional, chemical, radiological, and biological munitions dumped, lost, or abandoned in Hawaiian waters during World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War as posing health and safety risks to humans and marine life.

• Notes that munitions casements are undergoing rapid corrosion in seawater, creating urgency to retrieve and destroy them before toxic breakdown products spread across the sea floor.

• Establishes that Hawaii's coral reefs generate $835,000,000 in annual economic activity and support over 8,000 full-time jobs, making munitions removal necessary to protect marine ecosystems and economic interests.

• Directs transmission of certified copies to the Governor, Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, and Chairperson of the International Scientific and Technology Advisory Board on Underwater Munitions.