The state Department of Health is upholding the governor’s order requiring the Navy to drain the Red Hill fuel tanks after oil leaked from the facility and contaminated Pearl Harbor’s tap water. The department's deputy director says she agrees with the conclusions of an official appointed by the department to review the facts of the case.
The Navy is filing objections to the conclusion by a Hawaiʻi state official that it should be required to remove fuel from tanks it owns near Pearl Harbor. The Navy argued the current situation with the tanks did not pose an “imminent” threat to human health and the environment.
Calling the Red Hill fuel storage facility “a metaphorical ticking timebomb,” a state hearings officer has recommended that the Navy should comply with the state order that, among other things, requires the removal of millions of gallons of fuel from its tanks. HPR’s Scott Kim has more.
It's almost 2022 and there's been a lot of news and information about water contamination from a leak at the Navy Red Hill fuel storage facility on Oʻahu. While clean-up efforts continue, the history and issues surrounding Red Hill began long before. These are the recent developments you need to know.