Governor, military seek to reassure public ahead of historic project to empty fuel from Red Hill

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The governor, other elected and government leaders, and military officials sought to reassure the public Friday as crews prepare to begin the months-long effort to empty the Red Hill underground storage facility of more than 100 million gallons of fuel.

They said while the historic project, which kicks off Monday, is not without risk it comes after months of planning, emergency preparedness training and multi-agency collaboration.

“Defueling Red Hill is the right thing to do for the people of Hawaii, the environment, military families and national security,” said Rear Admiral John Wade, commander of the joint task force in charge of defueling the Red Hill tanks. “We have planned and we have trained. We have taken exhaustive effort to reduce risk ... (but) our job is nowhere close to being done.”

Using gravity draining, the military will empty fuel from the World War II-era facility through three miles of underground pipelines to a Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam pier.

Fire response a key part of emergency training ahead of risky Red Hill defueling

One of the major concerns about the project is where the facility sits — just above the aquifer that serves much of Honolulu. There are also worries about the risk of fire. Officials said extensive monitoring will be in place to catch problems early and hopefully, before they grow.

“This is an enormous process and they have planned extensively for all possible scenarios,” said Gov. Josh Green, in a Friday morning news conference at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

Navy Water Crisis

Officials expect the de-fueling to take about three months. They called the beginning of defueling a milestone, but also noted that it’s just the beginning of a years-long effort to shut down Red Hill.

The military agreed to empty Red Hill in the wake of the November 2021 fuel spill at the facility, which tainted a water system that served more than 90,000 customers.

“When Secretary Hicks called me to tell me that the DOD has made the critical decision to close Red Hill, that really gave me chicken skin,” said U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono.

OSHA demands answers on alleged hazards at Red Hill days before defueling set to begin

Thousands were sickened.

State health officials say tests show the Red Hill well no longer shows petroleum contamination, but millions of gallons of water will still be filtered and released into Halawa stream indefinitely.

“Until the tanks have been drained, we still believe there may be a threat,” said Kathy Ho, Deputy Director, Environmental Health, Hawaii Department of Health.

“My prayer is that it will go off without a hitch. but I am uncomfortable allowing the water not to be drained,” she added.

The Red Hill crisis reignited years long debate over the military’s use of public lands.

Hawaii News Now asked Governor Green if the successful defueling of Red Hill will make it easier for the military to renegotiate its leases with the state of Hawaii?

“The answer is, in a word, yes. The more we trust each other, the easier it will be to work together for generations to come,” said Green.

A criminal probe into the incident is ongoing.

Earlier this week, new concerns were raised about the safety of the defueling effort, including the conditions and precautions in place for workers. OSHA is seeking answers on the situation.

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