{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://case.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=388", "U.S. House Passes Case's Measure Advancing First National Forest for Hawai\u2018i", "2020-12-05", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "HI", "Ed Case", "C001055", "case.house.gov", "case", "https://case.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27&Page=29", "scraper", "(Washington, DC) \u2013 U.S. Congressman Ed Case (HI-01) announced that the U.S. House of Representatives this Thursday passed his bill to advance creation of Hawaii\u2019s first National Forest.\n\nA member of the House\u2019s Natural Resources Committee and of its Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands with jurisdiction over the National Forest System, Case managed (led majority party efforts) in the full House in debating and passing his (H.R. 7045) and several other key Natural Resources bills. Case\u2019s bill now moves to the U.S. Senate for consideration.\n\n\u201cMy measure will move us toward finally correcting a longstanding omission by adding the best of Hawaii\u2019s unique and endangered forests to our country\u2019s invaluable National Forest System,\u201d said Case. \u201cIt will direct our federal government to pursue a formal process led by the U.S. Forest Service of engaging with state and community stakeholders toward identification of the most suitable Hawaii forests for inclusion as National Forests.\u201d\n\nThe National Forest System currently comprises 154 national forests, 20 national grasslands and several other federal land designations containing 193 million acres. Its core mission is to conserve precious resources for a variety of uses to include watershed management, research, cultural site preservation, wildlife habitat management and research and outdoor recreation.\n\nCase said: \u201cDespite having some of the most unique and endangered forest lands in the country, Hawai\u2018i is one of only a handful of states nationwide without a National Forest. Establishing a National Forest in Hawai\u2018i would support tropical forest conservation and research throughout the Hawaiian Islands, and provide appropriate recreational, cultural and commercial opportunities in Hawai\u2018i,\u201d all with financial and other assistance from the federal government.\n\nEarlier this year, Case arranged for Hawai\u2018i Department of Land and Natural Resources\u2019 First Deputy Robert Masuda to testify before his Subcommittee in favor of the measure. \u201cThe citizens of Hawaii share a passion for the lands and resources that have sustained our islands for generations,\u201d Masuda told the Subcommittee.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s ingrained into our culture and outlook. Like other island peoples around the world, we understand that we live with finite resources on a limited land base. Living on isolated islands, we are particularly sensitive to the threats posed by pollution, climate change, and invasive species. We know that the conservation of our terrestrial and marine resources is necessary for the quality of life we now enjoy, and for future generations.\n\nMasuda continued: \u201cThe State and the U.S. Forest Service already have a successful record of ongoing collaboration in tropical forestry research. We believe Hawaii\u2019s existing Forest Reserves, watershed and endangered species protection programs would align well with a National Forest in Hawai\u2018i.\u201d\n\nNOTE: The measure can be found here https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/7045.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-06-28T00:42:23Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://case.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=388"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8546230383217335, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}