Government Reports Confirm Community Concerns, Expose Navy’s Negligence; EPA Backs Navy to Silence Community
By Madison Owens, Red Hill Organizer, Rosalie Luo, Volunteer, and Wayne Tanaka, Chapter Director
Reading time: 6.25 minutes
In this month’s Red Hill update, we review two newly released reports—by the US Government Accountability Office and the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General—that validate long-standing community concerns about the Navy’s carelessness, incompetence, and lack of transparency in managing the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility and its aftermath. Despite these reports, the EPA has moved to amend the Administrative Consent Order, stripping away almost all of the powers of the Red Hill Community Representation Initiative. This blatant attempt to muzzle community voices demands immediate action to uphold accountability and protect public health.
US Government Accountability Office Report
A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released on November 4th shed light on the Navy’s reliance on contractors for Red Hill operations and the breakdowns in oversight that exacerbated safety risks. The office reviewed 16 reports from 2014-2023 and addresses the role contractors played in operations, maintenance, and repair activities, as well as the Navy’s oversight mechanisms both before and after the 2021 fuel leaks.
For instance, before the 2021 leaks, eight of the ten contracts reviewed by GAO were awarded competitively. However, following the leaks, the Navy shifted to awarding all six subsequent contracts noncompetitively. This change was largely driven by the urgent need to address safety and environmental concerns, improve operations, and prepare for the facility’s planned closure by June 2028. However, this approach left gaps in accountability, contributing to incidents like the improper installation of a fire suppression valve in 2022, which led to a 1,300-gallon spill of hazardous aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF).
Contractors were tasked with maintaining critical systems, including fire suppression and groundwater monitoring. Yet, the report revealed that coordination between contractors and the Department of Defense was plagued by delays and inefficiencies. The Navy’s decentralized structure further complicated oversight, with contractors reporting issues to multiple agencies without clear accountability for repairs.
Office of Inspector General Report
The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (IG) released three critical reports recently, confirming the Navy’s widespread operational failures and inadequate crisis response that led to the 2021 Red Hill fuel leaks and subsequent water contamination crisis. These reports reveal that despite repeated public assurances about the safety of the facility, the Navy’s “system of systems” for leak detection and spill response was ineffective at preventing or even adequately identifying fuel spills. The findings highlight key failures:
A lack of awareness and adherence to spill prevention and response plans among Navy personnel.
Disingenuous public relations tactics aimed at discrediting concerns raised by community organizations, including the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi, the Board of Water Supply, and impacted residents.
Chronic underreporting and inadequate cleanup of multiple spills involving toxic firefighting foam (AFFF), which contains hazardous “forever chemicals” now threatening groundwater and future generations.
The reports reinforce the urgent need for community vigilance, transparency, and robust action to ensure lasting protections for Oʻahu’s water and environment. Shockingly, the Navy did not follow its own response plans during the 2021 leaks, failed to establish an incident command as required, and delayed critical actions, including testing for fuel floating on groundwater. Many of these insights reinforce previous findings like the Navy Command investigation:
“There were no substantive differences in the immediate responses to the May and November spills because there was no learning or assessment with regard to response efforts following the May spill. Most troubling, there were no integrated spill response training or drill events conducted with installation and other support personnel between the May and November spills. Without such actions, there was no opportunity to understand the deficiencies, friction points, and challenges experienced by the combined team during the May spill.”
You can find the full DoD IG reports for the facility here on 1) operation, maintenance, safety, and oversight; 2) DoD actions; and 3) concerns with the Navy’s handling of incidents involving AFFF.
Community Representation Initiative Meeting #14 Recap
The 14th Community Representation Initiative (CRI) meeting took place on November 21st at Ewa Beach Public Library, featuring representatives from the Honolulu Board of Water Supply (BWS), and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Navy officials, however, were notably absent for the ninth consecutive meeting.
Meeting Agenda:
The Navy’s expected return at the December CRI meeting
Acknowledge the three-year anniversary of the November 2021 fuel spill
Waiea Water: Updates on free water testing
EPA presentation on water system inspections
Public comment session
During the first agenda item, the EPA announced its decision with the Navy to amend the 2023 Administrative Consent Order, significantly curtailing the effectiveness of the Red Hill CRI. Various members from the public also testified in support of the CRI and raised criticisms at EPA representatives responsible for the ACO and CRI.
Wayne Chung Tanaka, Executive Director of the Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi, responded to this decision with a statement addressing the implications of the EPA and Navy’s actions:
Just last week, the Department of Defense Inspector General released three damning reports confirming the Navy’s leadership culture of carelessness, hubris, and state of denial that led to the Red Hill water crisis and that persists to this day.
Now, we have been informed that the EPA has agreed with this same institutional culprit to strip away almost all of the powers of the Red Hill CRI, which for over a year has been a leading voice for transparency and accountability, and served as the one forum that poisoned families and Hawai‘i residents have been able to rely upon, to raise questions and demand answers regardless of how inconvenient the Navy may find such matters."
Read the full statement here.
During the meeting, CRI member Marti Townsend also shared her analysis of the DoD IG reports, arguing that the reports revealed the Navy’s carelessness, incompetence, and lack of transparency in managing the facility and responding to the resulting water crises. She shared, for instance, that the Navy failed to recognize the inherent risks of the facility's design, which placed fuel storage dangerously close to a drinking water well.
The Sierra Club calls upon local leaders and Hawaiʻi’s Congressional Delegation to stand with and for the community, and to demand that the EPA and Navy undo this outrageous attempt to silence the Red Hill CRI and by extension, all who have been affected or remain under threat by the Navy’s poisoning of our most precious resource.
The recording of the November 21st CRI meeting is now available on the CRI's YouTube channel.
The next Red Hill CRI meeting is scheduled for Thursday, December 12th from 5-8 PM at the ‘Ōlelo Community Media Center. The hybrid meeting invites community participation both in person and via Zoom.
Register for the Zoom meeting: click here
Encourage others to join and show your support for the CRI! For more information and details, visit the CRI’s Instagram or website.
Navy Closure Task Force-Red Hill Open House
On Thursday, November 14th, 2024, the Navy Closure Task Force-Red Hill (NCTF-RH) hosted its quarterly open house at the Hokulani Community Center. To view the materials shared during the open house, click here.
Upcoming Events
Navy Closure Task Force-Red Hill Swarm Team & Board of Water Supply Discussion
Tuesday, December 10, 2024 | 9:00-11:30 AM
Click here to learn more and register for the virtual meeting.
Community Representation Initiative for Red Hill Meeting
Thursday, December 12, 2024 | 5:00-8:00 PM
Tentatively at the ‘Ōlelo Māpunapuna Community Media Center and available in a hybrid format. Visit CRI’s Instagram page or the CRI website for further updates.
Makalehua o Waimānalo
Saturday, December 14, 2024 | 12:00–6:00 PM
Celebrate the pride of Waimānalo–building community resilience and pride. Join us for a community celebration at Waimānalo Beach Park
Free Film Screening: Our Blue World – A Water Odyssey
Saturday, December 14, 2024 | 5:00–8:00 PM
This event promises to be a great opportunity to share good vibes, good food, and a chance to take action and spread more good. Click here to learn more and RSVP!