Agriculture-Based Remediation Program

Biotechnology and Environmental Science & Technology continue to be focus areas for the State of Hawaii as a component of the state’s economic diversification strategy. PICHTR’s involvement in the Agriculture-Based Remediation Program (ABRP) provided the opportunity to network, develop strategic alliances, and leverage PICHTR program areas in conjunction with agriculture-based activities (i.e., Biomass Energy, Photovoltaic Systems, Resource Recovery Systems), as well as showcasing PICHTR’s ability to manage federally-funded programs.

The ABRP was a multi-year (fiscal years 1997, 1998 & 1999) Congressionally-funded (DOD) program managed by and among the Waterways Experiment Station (WES) of the Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army Environmental Center (USAEC) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The program demonstrated agriculturally-based remediation on military and civilian sites, maximized the use of locally-based resources, and encouraged and nurtured the technical and educational support for a local environmental remediation/restoration industry. The objective was to fully develop a sustainable agriculturally-based remediation industry; a segment of the larger bio-technology field, to meet military and civilian restoration needs in the Pacific. PICHTR’s role in the program was the local agent on behalf of the USDA, as well as coordinator and facilitator among the local military entities involved: U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (POH). PICHTR provided overall program management and oversight for the USDA “civilian” projects. PICHTR’s functions included coordination with USDA, WES, USAEC, USARPAC and POH, and the different projects.