Following a meeting with Dr. Jim Reilly, director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Sen. Mazie K. Hirono announced that USGS has committed to keeping the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) on Hawai‘i Island.

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“The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is an integral part of the Hawai‘i Island community, as we saw when HVO scientists worked around the clock with first responders to provide critical information during last year’s volcanic activity,” Sen. Hirono said. “It just makes sense that this critical agency remains anchored on Hawai‘i Island, and I want to thank Dr. Reilly for being receptive to community concerns on this matter.”

During his confirmation hearing in March, Sen. Hirono urged then-Acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to incorporate feedback from Hawai‘i Island residents and Hawai‘i’s Congressional Delegation before deciding whether to move the Observatory to O‘ahu.

Earlier this month, Sen. Hirono joined Hawai‘i’s Congressional Delegation in writing to Director Reilly urging him to keep HVO on Hawai‘i Island.