#red hill

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health has conditionally approved the reactivation of the Navy’s ʻAiea Hālawa Shaft as a water source for the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Public Water System.

The US Department of Justice’s Civil Division issued payments for about $17 million to 629 plaintiffs in two federal lawsuits stemming from the 2021 jet fuel leaks at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility on Oʻahu.

The military will be holding public meetings this week to gather input about the project that already has met with past opposition by some community groups, Maui Mayor Richard Bissen and the County Council.

In 2025, US Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) worked to protect Hawai‘i from significant cuts to federal funding and helped secure more than $1 billion for Hawai‘i to support Maui’s ongoing recovery, expand high-speed internet, and improve airports and infrastructure.

Navy Closure Task Force-Red Hill will begin venting tank 20 at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility this week, marking another step in the facility’s decommissioning process. Tank decommissioning involves various steps, to include defueling, venting, and ultimately the permanent closure of each tank.

“Investments in DOD infrastructure, military readiness, and support for our servicemembers are all crucial to bolstering our national security,” said Hirono. “This year’s NDAA makes those critical investments, including funding to facilitate the permanent closure of Red Hill, as well as over $1.1 billion to support infrastructure projects in Hawaiʻi.”

On May 6, 2021, two couplings on the pipeline at Red Hill failed during an attempted transfer of jet fuel. The attempted transfer was aborted after approximately 20,000 gallons of jet fuel from a storage tank flowed into the pipeline and then spilled into the tunnel.

This event commemorates the 132nd anniversary of the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarchy and honor Hawaiʻi’s last ruling monarch, Queen Liliʻuokalani.

US Sen. Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) voted on Wednesday to pass the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act in the US Senate, which includes several key provisions for Hawaiʻi and the Indo-Pacific region, US military service members and the maintenance and modernization of Department of Defense infrastructure.

The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) will host its 2024 Native Hawaiian Convention on Hawai‘i Island at the Hilton Waikoloa Village from Sept. 17 to Sept. 19, 2024. 

A new study from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa shows that chlorine mixed with petroleum in water can potentially produce inadvertent byproducts harmful to human health.

The Hawai‘i Community Foundation today announced the launch of its Hawaiian Islands Environmental Finance Center to support long-term water sustainability and water infrastructure resilience across the state.

“As we embark on the second year of the 32nd Legislature, the House Majority Caucus will continue to address key community issues, including affordable housing and homelessness, renewable energy, mental health needs in our community, and the shortage of healthcare workers across our state,” said House Majority Leader Nadine K. Nakamura (D-15).

Kaleo Manuel, the First Deputy on the state Commission on Water Resource Management is apparently leaving his post after being reassigned following the August wildfires, and then reinstated two months later following an investigation by the Attorney General.

Recommendations include: extra training for personnel responding to residents’ questions and concerns; development of pamphlets outlining sampling and testing processes and use of the JBPHH Safe Waters website; and a plan to extend the LTM program beyond its originally planned end date of March 2024. 

Over the past six months, the Red Hill WAI group met regularly to conduct research, listen to subject matter experts, and formulate recommended policies. A comprehensive plan has been finalized, which serves as a blueprint and living document outlining the necessary steps to clean up Red Hill and remediate the aquifer.

The Red Hill Water Initiative (WAI) group is set to unveil its final report today, which calls for aquifer remediation and an integrated approach to resolving the Red Hill water crisis.

Approximately 480,000 gallons of fuel are expected to be removed from the surge tanks. Defueling operations are expected to begin on July 17, 2023, and run through July 30, 2023. 

The Hawaiʻi State Department of Health received an updated defueling plan this week for the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. The plan, submitted by Joint Task Force-Red Hill, moves up defueling to begin in October 2023.

The State of Hawai‘i will not require those families and individuals adversely impacted by the Red Hill fuel crisis to pay state taxes on relief provided by the federal government to cover expenses, according to an announcement made by Governor Josh Green, M.D.