Aumua Meets With Corps of Engineers District Commander on Key American Samoa Projects
Washington, D.C. –Tuesday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata, stopped in Honolulu while en route to her home district in American Samoa Monday to meet with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) District Commander LTC James Hoyman and his team. So that Congress can provide additional help, Aumua requested a detailed briefing and status report on all of the Corps' support to American Samoa including all projects and studies, their financing, economic justification, high cost of construction and other challenges. At the conclusion of the meeting, the Congresswoman thanked the USACE District Commander for a job well done on behalf of American Samoa.
Aumua enters the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers headquarters.
Aumua with USACE District Commander LTC James D. Hoyman, P.E.; Honolulu District Civil & Public Works Branch Chief Derek Chow; Deputy Chief, Programs and Project Management Division & Chief, Real Estate Branch Stephen N. Cayetano, P.E.; Civil Engineer Jon Hosaka and Jacqueline Conant, Congressional Liaison/Project Manager.
Amata discussed with District Commander LTC Hoyman ways the U.S. Congress can specifically help American Samoa, by amending remote and subsistence for cost sharing (i.e., the critical Faleasao project) as well as amending the cost share waiver to apply to technical studies for American Samoa in both large and small projects. "The bottom line," said the Congresswoman, "is that the work needs to be done but at the same time, we must reduce the costs to American Samoa with the federal government doing the heavy lifting wherever possible--- that is my main thrust."
There are currently seven active FUDS or formerly used defense sites in American Samoa including Tafuna, Matafao, Vaitogi, Pago Pago and Aua and ATALAs or Army training areas in Leone and Fagasa.
The United States Army Corps of Engineers' huge area of responsibility includes the vast U.S. Pacific region, dating back to one hundred years of service, and American Samoa is an integral part of it. The Congresswoman interacted with the different programs and project management divisions that specifically deal with American Samoa including the military, real estate, civil and public works and environmental programs branches of USACE.
The Congresswoman concluded by saying, "Governor Lolo and Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary Esther Kia'aina are to be commended for their hard work---OIA funding is part of it and ASG can use CIP funds as well as any public/private partnerships that may be out there. However, a total study of design and construction costs a lot of money, and cost sharing between ASG and the Federal Government may sound good on the face of it but whether it's a 50-50 or 75-25 ratio, that smaller percentage still translates into being a very costly item to American Samoa, even with federal waivers thrown in. This is why Congress must help reduce those costs to American Samoa with legislation to amend remote and subsistence for cost sharing and amend the cost share waiver to apply to technical studies for American Samoa for both large and small projects. That will be another of my important responsibilities in the next Congress."
The Congresswoman will be home for the August congressional recess and DWP on Wednesday's Honolulu flight to Pago.
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