U.S. Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawai'i, has introduced the Ka'u Coast Preservation Act, a bill that directs the National Park Service to formally assess inclusion into the national park system of a 27-mile stretch between Kapao'o Point and Kahuku Point.

The region comprises more than 20,000 acres of largely pristine land that includes significant natural, geological and archeological features. The northern part of the area abuts Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park and contains a number of notable geological features, including a huge lava tube known as the Great Crack, which Case said the National Park Service has expressed interest in acquiring.

An initial study of the area describes the Ka'u Coast's natural and cultural resources, such as black and green sand beaches and habitat for hawksbill and green sea turtles, the Hawaiian monk seal, the Hawaiian hawk, and native insects and birds.

Case, who is losing his House seat following an unsuccessful Senate campaign, acknowledged that there isn't enough time in the current session to advance the Ka'u Coast Preservation Act, formally known as H.R. 6202, but called it a "good start" to a worthy preservation effort.