THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1992. PACIFIC OCEAN DIVISION WITNESSES COL. (P) RALPH V. LOCURCIO, COMMANDER AND DIVISION ENGINEER KISUK CHEUNG, DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING JOHN R. PELOWSKI, CHIEF, PLANNING DIVISION RUSSELL H. TAKARA, CHIEF, PROGRAMS MANAGEMENT DIVISION OPENING REMARKS Mr. CHAPMAN. Gentlemen, let me welcome you to the Committee, and Colonel, I would extend to you a special welcome. As is customary, we will, since this is your first appearance before the Subcommittee, make your biography a part of the record, and you will be permanently enshrined in the annals of Congress. Now that may be a blessing or a curse, depending upon your viewpoint, but nonetheless, we are pleased that you are here, look forward to your presentation, invite you to introduce those that accompany you and proceed in your own fashion. [The biography of Colonel Locurcio follows:] (1533) Colonel (P) Ralph V. Locurcio became the Commander and Division Engineer of the Pacific Ocean Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, headquartered at Fort Shafter, Hawaii, in January 1992. The Pacific Ocean Division's area of operation stretches across five time zones from Hawaii through Japan and Korea and on to Thailand. As an operating division, POD has two fully staffed districts (Japan Engineer District at Camp Zama and Far East Engineer District in Seoul), and a POD headquarters staff which also functions as the staff of the third district, Honolulu Engineer District. As commander and division engineer, Colonel (P) Locurcio has the responsibility for engineering design, construction and real estate management for the Army and Air Force in Hawaii and for all Department of Defense agencies in Japan, in the Republic of Korea, and at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. The division's program includes the federal water resource management and development activities in the state of Hawaii, the territories of American Samoa and Guam, and the commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The program also expands into projects for other U.S. government agencies and for Pacific island nations, on a reimbursable basis. Colonel (P) Locurcio has held a variety of other key positions in the Corps of Engineers. He completed a one-year assignment in the Persian Gulf as commander of the Corps' Transatlantic Division Kuwait Emergency Recovery Office. He has served as commander and district engineer of the Corps' Savannah District and the Philadelphia District; as assistant director of Construction at Corps of Engineers Headquarters in Washington, D.C.; as assistant area engineer in the Corps' Baltimore District; and as executive assistant for the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors. He was the director of engineering and housing for the U.S. military community in Karlsruhe, West Germany, and has served in several troop assignments in Vietnam and in Germany. Colonel (P) Locurcio is a 1965 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and holds a master's degree in urban engineering from Purdue University. He is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at the University of Pennsylvania, the U.S. Army War College, and the U.S. Command and General Staff College. Colonel (P) Locurcio is a Professional Civil Engineer registered in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. His military decorations and awards include the Legion of Merit with three Oak Leaf Clusters, Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, and Kuwait Liberation Medal, as well as the Ranger Tab and Parachutist Badge. Colonel (P) Locurcio was born in December 1943 in New Jersey. He is married to the former Ingrid Klaus of Hanau, West Germany. They have three children. (January 1992) PACIFIC OCEAN DIVISION STATUS REPORT INTRODUCTION Colonel LOCURCIO. Thank you for that warm welcome. I am Ralph Locurcio, Commander of the Pacific Ocean Division. I am pleased to appear before you for the first time, as you noted, to testify on Civil Works activities of the Pacific Ocean Division and to present our program request for fiscal year 1993. With me today are Mr. Kisuk Cheung, the Director of Engineering; Mr. John Pelowski, Chief of the Planning Division; and Mr. Russell Takara, Chief of the Programs Management Division. The Pacific Ocean Division's Civil Works area of responsibility includes the State of Hawaii, the territories of Guam and American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. POD also has a military mission which encompasses the State of Hawaii, Kwajalein Atoll, Japan, and the Republic of Korea. The Pacific Ocean Division's area of responsibility, as you can see, covers the majority of the Pacific Basin. Our area is one that is graced with much natural beauty but also one faced with many problems and challenges. The Division has a long proud history of providing vital water resources projects for Pacific Islanders. We plan, design, and construct facilities to reduce the threat of flood damages, improve navigation conditions, and deter damages to facilities due to coastal erosion. In addition, our emergency response teams are ready to go on a moment's notice when natural disasters strike, which in this very large area, may occur every year. During my testimony I will first highlight fiscal years 1991 and 1992 activities and then present our fiscal year 1993 budget request. FISCAL YEARS 1991 AND 1992 ACTIVITIES COMPLETION OF CONSTRUCTION In fiscal year 1991, we completed construction on three projects. Two were projects in American Samoa. One was at Lepua, to protect the main highway from the erosive power of the ocean, and the other was at Masefau, to protect the local school and village. I am happy to report that both projects performed as designed during the recent hurricane that devastated American Samoa. The other project was at Sand Island Park in Honolulu. Years of erosion were causing the park to deteriorate. I am happy to report that the Sand Island project was dedicated in October 1991. WAIKIKI BEACH We completed a reevaluation report on the erosion problem at Waikiki Beach on Oahu. The report identified an erosion problem, however, since the benefits are primarily recreational in nature, a Corps project is unlikely. NANPIL RIVER HYDROPOWER We are continuing operation and maintenance training of local power plant personnel at the Nanpil River Hydropower project in the Federated States of Micronesia. This is a continuation of the project on which we completed construction in 1987. MAALAEA HARBOR Advertising for construction of the Maalaea Harbor project on Maui has been postponed to next fiscal year while a joint FederalState supplemental EIS is being prepared. Concerns about the impacts on endangered humpback whales and surf sites are being readdressed. ALENAIO STREAM FLOOD CONTROL Preconstruction engineering and design efforts continue for the Alenaio Stream flood control project. The project will prevent flood damages to Hilo, the urban center of the island of Hawaii. Design has been completed and award is scheduled for this fiscal year. KAWAIHAE SMALL BOAT HARBOR The Kawaihae Small Boat Harbor project, which is on the west coast of the island of Hawaii, will modify a deep draft harbor that was constructed by the Corps in the 1960's. The improved harbor facility will allow for safer operation and increased berthing capacity for commercial navigation. Construction is expected to be initiated in fiscal year 1993. URBAN FLOOD CONTROL STUDY, HONOLULU We will complete the reconnaissance report on the Honolulu Urban Flood Control Study by this spring. As a result of our investigations, we will be initiating a cost-shared feasibility study for flood control improvements on Wailupe Stream, located in east Oahu. MAKENA BEACH As requested in the fiscal year 1992 Conference Report, we are conducting a feasibility analysis on the potential acquisition of land at Makena Beach on Maui. EMERGENCY ACTIVITIES Finally, the Pacific Ocean Division has been busily involved in emergency activities. So far this fiscal year, we have supported FEMA on 14 missions for natural disaster incidents throughout the Pacific. In all, we spent over 700 man days in this endeavor, most of them during the Christmas holidays. Mr. Chairman, that briefly covers our fiscal year 1991 and 1992 activities, and now I will discuss our fiscal year 1993 budget request. FISCAL YEAR 1993 BUDGET REQUEST The Pacific Ocean Division's budget request for fiscal year 1993 is $11.9 million. A breakdown of the request shows $0.5 million for |