Press Releases

(Washington, DC) - Congressman Ed Case (HI-01), following on his reappointment to the House Appropriations Committee, has also been reappointed to the House Natural Resources Committee for a third term.

The Committee’s broad jurisdiction includes federal environmental protection and conservation laws and programs, federal lands, energy and mineral resources, water, oceans and wildlife, U.S. territories, indigenous peoples of the U.S. including Native Hawaiians, and the Compacts of Free Association with the Marshall Islands, Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia.

The Committee, which oversees all federal agencies within its jurisdiction, including the U.S. Department of the Interior, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Forest Service, is one of the oldest in Congress, dating back to 1805.

“I’m grateful and excited to be able to continue my work on Natural Resources,” said Case, who was first appointed to the Committee in 2019. “I’ve been able to advance many priorities for Hawai‘i through my Committee work, especially expanding preservation of our precious lands and natural resources, and advancing protections for our world’s oceans, and I look forward to continuing that work.”

Case highlighted his work through the Committee on behalf of Native Hawaiians. “Hawai‘i has always been and will remain one of the most diverse and unique communities on earth. And at the very core of our I’s identity are our indigenous peoples, the Native Hawaiians,” said Case.

“It is my special kuleana (responsibility), together with my Hawai’i congressional colleagues, to represent some 385,000 residents of Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander ancestry throughout our Hawai‘i. Together with their ‘I throughout our country, they now number over 1.5 million who share the heritage of the original peoples of the Pacific.”

“I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress who share this kuleana to ensure that our federal government respects, protects and promotes the language, knowledge, resources, cultural practices and traditions of our Native Hawaiian communities. Addressing these concerns is not only important to Hawai‘i but also to Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders wherever they live as well as to other indigenous peoples and communities throughout our country who have similar priorities.” 

Case will once again serve on the renamed Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs, which oversees all matters regarding indigenous peoples and U.S. territories. Case also won a seat on the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, responsible for overall oversight of federal agencies, programs and policies within the jurisdiction of the Natural Resources Committee.

“Of particular importance to the Committee and my work this Congress will be the proposed renegotiated Compacts of Free Association between our country and the Republic of Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia,” said Case. “These are critical not only to our relationships in the Indo-Pacific, but to assuring that the impacts on Hawai’i social services of Compact residents are fully addressed.” 

For the third time, Case secured a waiver to serve on a second committee in addition to the Appropriations Committee, considered an “exclusive committee” whose members do not serve on other committees. “This is especially important to my work on Natural Resources as I’m able to closely synch up program oversight and development with funding.” 

In his first remarks in the Natural Resources Committee of this Congress, Case highlighted the importance of continued virtual testimony and other full accessibility to Committee deliberations by otherwise-distant island and indigenous communities. See his remarks here.

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