Mazie Hirono: End Dependence on Fossil Fuels

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July 4th. Independence Day. It’s a day that means so many different things to so many Americans: the signing of the Declaration of Independence; a red, white, and blue holiday to picnic with family and friends; a time to express gratitude and well wishes for a safe return home to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But as we reflect on that historic signing 234 years ago, and the breaking away from England to create a nation that controls its own destiny, we must look to the future and renew our fight to break free of another kind of dependence; our country’s crushing dependence on fossil fuels, especially foreign oil.

No one feels the pinch of high energy costs more than the people of Hawaii. Ninety percent of our state’s energy needs rely on imported fossil fuels. Hawaii is the most oil dependent state in the country.  We can’t afford to live like this any longer.

Today’s national headlines also remind us there’s an even darker side to our dependence on fossil fuels. Eleven workers died on April 20th in an oil rig explosion that has also led to the disastrous spewing of millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, which continues this very moment. As I’ve previously stated, this massive spill only reinforces my commitment to developing alternative and renewable sources of energy.

Make no mistake — it won’t be easy to break free from the fossil fuels that power our cars and create electricity for our homes and businesses. But meaningful efforts throughout the state are already underway. Island companies are taking advantage of our tropical location, abundant sunlight, and year-round growing season to develop viable bioenergy sources.

For my part, I voted in favor of the Recovery Act that has since brought close to $63 million dollars in U.S. Department of Energy grants to fund such projects as installing solar water heaters and compact fluorescent lamps in more than 400 Hawaiian homestead homes, while also installing photovoltaic systems on state and county buildings. $10.3 million dollars in State Energy Program funding is currently being used to improve energy efficiency and expand the deployment of renewable energy technologies throughout the islands.

With hard work, we can turn the corner. Hawaii can and should be a leader in alternative and renewable energies.  As we reflect on this day, the dawn of our nation two centuries ago, we must set our sights on an America where clean, environmentally sound energy usage gives Hawaii and our nation independence from foreign sources of fossil fuels.

DISCUSSION: Share your thoughts about this essay and the meaning of independence 234 years after the drafting of the Declaration of Independence.

Elected to Congress in 2006, Mazie K. Hirono is now serving her second term representing Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Hirono’s district includes rural Oahu, the Neighbor Islands: Kahoolawe, Kauai, Lanai, Maui, Molokai, Niihau, Hawaii Island and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. She serves on two key U.S. House committees: the Committee on Education and Labor and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and was appointed to the House Democracy Partnership and the Coast Guard Academy’s Board of Visitors. She is also an executive board member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and the Congressional Progressive Caucus. She is a member of many other caucuses focused on issues relevant to Hawaii.

Hirono’s legislative priorities are strengthening the economy, job creation, education reform, and energy self-sufficiency. The Congresswoman has been recognized for her leadership in advancing quality early education for America’s children. Pre-K Now, a national preschool advocacy organization, named Hirono its 2008 “Pre-K Champion” for her success in passing her PRE-K Act (H.R. 3289) out of the Committee on Education and Labor in 2008. Her support of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act brought some $1.4 billion to Hawaii which helped to save and create more than 11,000 jobs. Most recently, Hirono voted in favor of comprehensive health care reform that will provide medical benefits to more than 32 million uninsured Americans while protecting Hawaii’s Pre-paid Healthcare Law.

For three decades, Hirono has built an outstanding record of public service throughout Hawaii. In 1980, she was elected to the Hawaii State House of Representatives where she was known as the “Consumer Crusader” and one of the most effective legislators with 120 of her bills becoming law. Elected in 1994 as Hawaii’s Lt. Governor, she led the state’s effort on workers’ compensation reform as well as advocating for educational reform in the areas of teacher quality and quality early education.

Born in Fukushima, Japan on November 3, 1947, Hirono became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1959, the year Hawaii became a state. She is the first immigrant woman of Asian ancestry to be sworn into Congressional office. Educated in Hawaii’s public school system, Hirono graduated with honors from Kaimuki High School and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. She earned her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., where she focused on public interest law.

Congresswoman Hirono is married to Leighton Kim Oshima. She counts reading as a favorite pastime and has found “success” as a potter with a recent piece on exhibit at the Women's National Democratic Club Congressional exhibition.

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