I am confident that I will be able to get the Native Hawaiian recognition bill moving in the U.S. House. I will have actual influence and power because I will be a Republican in a Republican-controlled House. I will have the ear of the House Majority leader and other influential members. Not only will they listen to me because I’m a Republican, but they’ll listen to me because I will be the only Republican congressman of Polynesian descent.

Hopefully, however, Senators Akaka and Inouye will succeed in getting the recognition bill passed out of the Senate in this session. My contacts in Washington tell me that there is a very real possibility that this bill could go directly to the floor of the U.S. House for a vote. If it does, I’ll do everything I can, even though I’m not in Congress, to get it passed.

As a Republican member of the U.S. House, my voice will be heard by the Republicans in control.

4. A federal judge recently threw out a state ban on thrill craft vessels in Maui County waters during the winter whale season. Is an amendment of federal law appropriate?

Yes. As a congressman, I’ll introduce and lobby strongly for legislation amending existing relevant federal law to allow states to enact legislation that provides greater protection to endangered species than provided by federal law.

If the people of Hawai’i want stronger laws, then we the people should have the right to do that.

I presume my opponent would agree. However, the difference between us is that it’s almost impossible for Case to be an effective voice for the environment as a member of Congress’ Minority Party. If you look at Ed Case’s record over the last year and a half, you’ll find a lot he has “supported,” “opposed,” “fought for,” but he has “achieved” almost nothing. We need an effective environmentalist in Congress. As a Republican environmentalist in the Republican-controlled House, I will be that effective voice for the environment.

Everybody in Hawai’i knows the quality of our life, our economy, our jobs, everything is dependent upon our protecting the environment.

I have proven my ability to effectively protect the environment.

For example, shortly after I was elected to the Council, I discovered developers were poised to put a landfill—a garbage dump—over the Pearl Harbor aquifer. It was almost a done deal. It blew my mind that we were going to be gambling with the purity of the drinking and bathing water for 70% of Oahu’s residents from Waianae to Hawai’i Kai.

I thought, “Wait a minute, 10 or 20 years from now, our grandchildren might not have water! The effect would be devastating on our people and economy. Two-thirds of Oahu could become uninhabitable. Hundreds of thousands of people would need to move to the mainland or neighbor islands, creating chaos.” I was determined to stop it and I’m very happy we succeeded.

If I didn’t accomplish anything else in my life, just knowing I helped protect our children and their children’s source of fresh water for generations to come is satisfying all by itself.

I’m also grateful to have had the opportunity to teach public school children the importance of watershed protection through the Healthy Hawai'i Coalition, a nonprofit group I founded in 2001. The Healthy Hawai’i Coalition has been active in Hawai'i's schools and we do regular testing of water quality in Hawai'i's watershed.

High on my priority list as a congressman will be protection of our environment.