The U.S. House last week authorized $72 million for military research and development in Hawai'i as part of the $504 billion 2008 National Defense Authorization Act.

With Democrats in the majority and U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawai'i, chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces, the amount is up considerably from the last two years' authorizations of $32 million and $38 million.

The U.S. Senate is expected to take up its version of the bill in coming weeks, but the total amount authorized may be pared back as the defense measure reaches the appropriation stage.

"This funding will help maintain Hawai'i's high-tech community role as an engine in the growth of our local economy," Abercrombie said.

The subcommittee he chairs has oversight for U.S. Army and Air Force operations, budget, and equipment and weapons systems procurement.

New funding proposals include $8 million for sonar mapping, water-quality testing and analysis in areas where the U.S. military dumped tons of chemical munitions into deep water at the end of World War II.

Publicity about the U.S. military's practice of dumping chemical and conventional weapons at sea decades ago led to records that show 4,220 tons of hydrogen cyanide were dumped somewhere off Pearl Harbor in 1944. During that year, the military also dumped 16,000 100-pound mustard bombs "about five miles off O'ahu."

In 1945, off Wai'anae, the Army dumped thousands of hydrogen cyanide bombs, cyanogen chloride bombs, mustard bombs and lewisite containers. Charts identified some as being in 1,600 feet of water.

"They've got to determine where (the munitions) are, exactly what state they are in. Can they be raised, or should they be raised?" said Abercrombie spokesman Dave Helfert. "It is possible that some of them or all of them are actually safer where they are rather than if they tried to raise them and broke the containers."

The House authorization for Hawai'i also includes $4 million in new funding for research, development and installation of a marine mammal detection system on Navy aircraft to better identify concentrations of the animals and to avoid harming them during sonar practice.

Environmental organizations sued in federal court last week to block the Navy from planned exercises using high-volume sonar in Hawaiian waters.

BAE Systems in Hawai'i has been involved in the development of an airborne survey system that detects the presence and movement of marine mammals, Abercrombie's office said. The project will allow BAE Systems to combine work done for the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense with sensor technology. Testing is expected at the Pacific Missile Range Facility off Kaua'i.

Also earmarked for Hawai'i is $42 million for defense research and the development of laser communications, new sensor technologies and advanced systems to detect explosives and biological contamination.

An additional $2.3 million was earmarked for UH's Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology for ongoing marine mammal hearing and sonar research.

"Data produced by this program are essential to Navy environmental programs, the establishment of safe active sonar and the well-being of marine mammals," Abercrombie said.

Paul Nachtigall, director of the Marine Mammal Research Program at the Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, said "that would be wonderful" to receive the $2.3 million. Last year's $2.2 million earmark eventually was reduced in the budget process to just over $1 million, he said.

Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com.