And if you don't know, now you know:
http://www.kaleo.org/...
Former Vice President Al Gore is set to present a free public lecture at UHM on Tuesday, April 15, 2014. The lecture was announced by UHM Sea Grant College Program and U.S Senator Brian Schatz.
Gore’s lecture will be the capstone of the day-long summit, Ascent. UH and Senator Schatz organized the event which will include notable dignitaries.
The summit will discuss and propose solutions to pressing problems in Hawai‘i’. The topics to be discussed will include: renewable energy, sustainable energy and water use, and the impacts of human practice and climate change on essential resources.
Vice President Gore’s lecture will be open to the public. It is set to start at 7 p.m. in the Stan Sherriff Center. - Kaleo, 1/24/14
For more information, you can click here:
http://seagrant.soest.hawaii.edu/
Speaking of Hawaii's environmental problems, Schatz has been all over this:
http://hawaii.news.blogs.civilbeat.com/...
A toxic chemical spill in West Virginia that has left hundreds of thousands of people without drinking water could bolster U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz's chances of passing legislation that aims to make companies more accountable for pollution.
Schatz has proposed tightening federal regulations regarding dangerous and hazardous materials in a manner that would make companies that spill these types of substances pay more for the clean-up costs.
The legislation originally stemmed from a massive molasses spill in Honolulu Harbor caused by Matson Navigation Co. that killed tens of thousands of fish and killed many colonies of sensitive coral reef.
Molasses is not considered a hazardous material under the federal Superfund law, meaning Matson is not required to pay back the government for the response to the spill.
But after the toxic chemical 4-methylcyclohexane methanol (MCHM) spilled into the Elk River in West Virginia, Schatz found an ally in fellow U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller because, like molasses, MCHM is not considered a hazardous substance under federal law. - Honolulu Civil Beat, 1/22/14
Schatz and Rockefeller's bill would would force companies to pay for clean-up costs of any dangerous materials under the Superfund law even if its not on the list of “hazardous materials” maintained by the federal government. Their bill would also increase the cap on what companies can be required to pay from $2 million to $4 million. The current $2 million cap has not been updated since 1986. If you would like more information, please contact Schatz or Rockefeller's offices for more details.
Schatz: (202) 224-3934
http://www.schatz.senate.gov/...
Rockefeller: (202) 224-6472
http://www.rockefeller.senate.gov/...
In other Schatz-related news, he's been working closely with his colleagues on more Native American affairs:
http://www.charkoosta.com/...
Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.) is teaming up with Senators Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), Mark Begich (D-Alaska), and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) to preserve Native languages and help strengthen Indian culture and education.
Tester and his colleagues this week introduced the Native Language Immersion Student Achievement Act. The bill establishes a grant program to fund Native language educational programs throughout Indian Country in order to improve high school graduation rates, increase college enrollment and better prepare students for jobs.
“Forty years ago, the people of Hawai’i faced the possible death of their native language. Today, through the dedicated and concerted efforts of a strong people, the vibrant Hawaiian language lives through thousands of speakers. The people of Hawai’i understand the richness and importance of Hawaiian customs, tradition, and language. We have worked to support incorporating Hawaiian culture, tradition and language into education,” said U.S. Senator Brian Schatz. “I’ve seen first-hand visiting immersion schools, the vital role immersion and other Native language-medium schools play in preserving Native languages and improving education. This bill will support this important work.”
Tester, Johnson, Begich and Schatz are all members of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. Their bill, which is supported by the National Indian Education Association, would award grants to eligible programs serving students from pre-Kindergarten to graduate school that use Native American languages as the primary language of instruction. - Char-Koosta News, 1/23/14
He's also been fighting with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) over having the Obama Presidential Library built in Obama's homestate of Hawaii:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel -- who served as Obama's former Chief of Staff -- revealed to the Sun-Times this week the city will one unified bid for the library rather than individual institutions -- including UIC and Chicago State University -- making "solo plays."
“We are going to run a process. But my goal is to have the City of Chicago, with its major educational institutions, have a single proposal,” Emanuel told the paper. Although the site of the old Michael Reese Hospital in Bronzeville has also been among the considered Chicago sites, the Sun-Times reports City Hall feels it's "too big and too costly to develop."
If the artifacts and records indeed went to a Chicago-based presidential library, Hawaiians would take a presidential center, institute or think tank as a consolation prize, according to the Christian Science Monitor, which noted President Bill Clinton made a similar move when he chose Arkansas for his library but New York City for his foundation efforts.
"We really don't see it as an either-or proposition," Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) told the Monitor in December. "We see no reason that the president has to be forced to choose between his two hometowns." - Huffington Post, 1/24/14
And he's continuing to kick ass in fundraising in his primary battle against Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D. HI-01):
http://hawaii.news.blogs.civilbeat.com/...
U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz has raised $3.4 million in his election bid, bringing in $704,600 in the latest election cycle.
That compares with $1.6 million total raised by his opponent in the Senate Democratic primary, Rep. Colleen Hanabusa. She took in $454,700 in the fourth quarter.
The latest figures, which cover the October through December period, were provided to Civil Beat by the respective campaigns. The full Senate fundraising reports are not due to the Federal Election Commission until the end of the month. - Honolulu Civil Beat, 1/18/14
I'll be having a diary out soon about making Schatz one of the Orange To Blue candidates for the Daily Kos. In the mean time, if you would like to donate or get involved with his campaign, you can do so here:
http://brianschatz.com/