[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 126 (Wednesday, July 23, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4683-S4684]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 3015. Ms. HIRONO submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
her to the bill S. 2296, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2026 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of subtitle F of title X, add the following:

     SEC. 1067. FEASIBILITY STUDY ON REMOVAL OF OIL FROM SUNKEN 
                   WORLD WAR II VESSELS IN WATERS NEAR THE 
                   FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA AND THE REPUBLIC 
                   OF PALAU.

       (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) there is a significant environmental threat posed by 
     World War II-era sunken Japanese warships, including three 
     oil tankers, located in the waters near the Federated States 
     of Micronesia and the Republic of Palau;
       (2) such sunken vessels contain an estimated 3,000,000 to 
     4,000,000 gallons of oil, or approximately the equivalent of 
     \1/3\ of the Exxon Valdez oil tanker spill in 1989; and
       (3) as such sunken vessels continue to deteriorate, small 
     amounts of oil are already leaking, threatening to cause an 
     ecological disaster that could negatively impact United 
     States military activities, the marine ecosystem, and 
     surrounding communities.
       (b) Study.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary of Defense, in coordination 
     with the Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command 
     and the head of any other relevant Federal department or 
     agency, as appropriate, shall conduct a comprehensive study 
     on the feasibility and advisability of removing oil from the 
     World War II-era sunken tankers, including an analysis of the 
     cost, logistical requirements, environmental risks, and 
     potential methods for removing the oil from the tankers.
       (2) Report.--
       (A) In general.--Not later than March 1, 2026, the 
     Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of 
     Congress a report on the findings of the study conducted 
     under paragraph (1).
       (B) Elements.--The report required by subparagraph (A) 
     shall include the following:

[[Page S4684]]

       (i) An assessment of the operational and environmental 
     risks posed by the oil remaining in the sunken tankers and 
     warships, including current leakage and the potential impacts 
     of a major spill.
       (ii) An evaluation of the cost, logistical challenges, and 
     technical approaches for safely extracting or containing oil 
     from the shipwrecks.
       (iii) A review of ongoing and planned efforts by the United 
     States and international partners addressing such matter.
       (iv) Recommendations on next steps, including resource 
     needs, interagency and international cooperation, and 
     timelines for potential remediation efforts.
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