Millions of dollars would fund climate resilience efforts for Native Hawaiians, thanks to major legislation Congress passed last week to fight climate change and reduce the price of prescription drugs.
Originally dubbed “Build Back Better,” the Inflation Reduction Act would allocate $23.5 million to
the Office of Native Hawaiian Relations, in the Department of the
Interior, to fund “climate resilience and adaptation activities that serve the Native Hawaiian Community,” the act states Opens in a new tab. Another
$1.5 million would cover the cost of administering the fund.
“For the first time ever, the federal government will directly support Native Hawaiian-led climate action,” U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, said in a news release. “This historic funding recognizes the importance of Native Hawaiian traditional knowledge and stewardship in developing effective climate solutions, upholds the federal trust responsibility, and will help the Native Hawaiian community build on its existing climate resiliency work.” Schatz voted for the act. All Senate Republicans opposed it.
The money could be spent on “financial assistance, technical assistance, direct expenditure, grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements,” according to the legislation. It would be overseen by Stanton K. Enomoto, senior program director at the Office of Native Hawaiian Relations, and remain active until Sept. 30, 2031. Enomoto did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Nonprofits that serve Native Hawaiians also might be eligible for more funding from the act for zero-
emission technologies, forest conservation and restoration, climate and environmental justice block grants, and coastal community climate resilience, according to Schatz’s news release.
President Joe Biden is expected to sign the bill this week.
