New Hawaii Governor Plans A Tougher Stance On Red Hill

As Hawaii’s new governor promises enhanced oversight of the Navy’s Red Hill fuel facility, environmental advocates hope that means his administration will press for faster action and increased transparency from the military.

Gov. Josh Green’s commitment in his State of the State address last week comes amid community criticism that federal regulators haven’t done enough to hold the Navy to account for contaminating the Pearl Harbor area’s drinking water in 2021, sickening some 2,000 people.

The Red Hill tanks still hold some 100 million gallons of fuel over Oahu’s primary drinking water aquifer, and emptying them could take until July 2024, according to the Navy.

“I do hope that Gov. Green’s commitments will be backed by strong actions by him and his administration and that he will, most importantly, consult with the community groups who have been fighting for years to prevent this crisis and are now dealing with an ongoing emergency,” said Wayne Tanaka, executive director of the Sierra Club of Hawaii.

Gov. Josh Green said Hawaii “must never again risk leaks or spills of any toxic substance into our water supply.” (David Croxford/Civil Beat/2023) For years, Hawaii’s politicians treaded lightly when it came to concerns about the […]

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