WASHINGTON — The Department of Defense will permanently close the Navy’s giant fuel storage facility on Oahu that leaked oil into Pearl Harbor’s tap water and remove all fuel, the Pentagon said Monday.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s decision was based on a new Pentagon assessment but was also consistent with an order from the state Department of Health to dump fuel from the tanks at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility.
The tanks, built into a mountainside to protect them from enemy attack during World War II, had run into a drinking water well and contaminated the water in Pearl Harbor’s homes and offices.
Nearly 6,000 people, mostly those living in military barracks at or near Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, became ill and sought treatment for nausea, headaches, rashes, and other ailments. And 4,000 military families have been evicted from their homes and are being housed in hotels.
Austin spoke to Hawaii leaders Monday to update them on the decision, which he says will protect the people and environment and also lay the foundation for a safer military fuel system.
“That’s the right thing,” Austin said in a statement. “Centrally located bulk fuel storage of this magnitude probably made sense in 1943 when Red Hill was built. And Red Hill has served our armed forces well for many decades. But now it makes a lot less sense.”
Gov. David Ige called it “great news for the people of Hawaii.”
US Senator Mazie Hirono said she has been encouraging the Pentagon to make the shutdown decision for weeks.
“I have said from day one that ensuring the health and safety of Oahu residents is my top priority, and I share the community’s great relief at this news,” said Hirono, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The Pentagon said it will move to a more distributed refueling system for military ships and aircraft in the Indo-Pacific. Based on the new assessment, the expanded system will be more cost-effective and provide greater security by spreading fuel supply more widely across the region.
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