Red Hill updates + upcoming actions
by Anna Chua | Reading time: 5.5 minutes
Defuel Plan & Command Investigations
The Navy released its defuel plan right on time to meet its June 30 deadline set by the Emergency Order, along with the command investigations of the 2021 leaks. The catch? They embargoed the release of the redacted documents until 1 a.m. on Friday, July 1, right before the long weekend, so as to bury media coverage. Fortunately, the Department of Health understood the critical need for transparency, and posted the documents online for public review on Thursday afternoon.
After sifting through the plan and investigation report, their efforts to conceal failures and structural incompetence become clear.
Here are some key highlights from the Defuel Plan:
December 2024 is the proposed deadline for defueling of the Red Hill Facility to conclude. Two and a half years is far too long, and our lives will be on the line for another 900 days.
The defueling plan also isn’t complete: the Department of Defense will “continually refine the Red Hill defueling plan as work progresses,” and supplement the plan with more details as it completes the initial phases of identifying actions required to enable defueling. The Navy even admits that the Department of Health (the people who are calling the shots under this Emergency Order) cannot approve the Defuel Plan until ity provides an updated plan incorporating all relevant information. The Navy’s self-imposed timeline to submit its final plan is August 31.
Out of the few dozen critical repairs recommended by the Navy’s contractor, the DoD has identified seven repairs that it expects to be on the “construction critical” path. The 2.5-year timeline to defuel is based in part on how long it took to get parts for similar on-island repairs, for which the Navy cites “supply chain issues.” But we know and they know that Red Hill is not just any everyday facility. Once again, the Navy is conflating convenience with necessity.
The Navy is giving themselves 17 months to implement those seven repairs, after which they will spend three months training contractors on how to safely defuel the tanks and pipelines.
Finally, only in May 2024 will defueling of the 104 million gallons that remain in Kapūkakī commence.
There is little to indicate that the Navy is treating this situation as an emergency, and no indication that the Navy or its contractors considered alternative or additional ways to defuel the Red Hill Facility beyond time-consuming repairs to its existing defueling infrastructure.
You, me, and thousands of other community members have been beating the dead horse with this statement, but I’ll say it again: this plan is unacceptable. Ernie Lau of the Board of Water Supply echoed our reaction, reminding us that this 2-plus years timeline contradicts the Navy’s superficial assurances over the years that the Facility is safe and meets regulatory standards. Let’s also not forget that the Navy has claimed it could defuel a tank within 36 hours.
As if the irony wasn’t thick enough, the plan also states that the DoD “has increased the frequency of communication with stakeholders,” primarily through the Navy, and intends to continue building upon that with the Department of Health and the community. From where we stand, we see nothing but a continued lack of transparency, and dare I say, deliberate deception.
Just when you think it can’t get any worse than that, the Navy strikes again. The U.S. Pacific Fleet released two investigations into the fiasco that was the 2021 sequence of events. In the same breath that the Navy tells us to wait over two more years until Red Hill is defueled, we learn that systemic negligence and a chain of human errors, combined with a facility too complex and inherently dangerous to operate safely, were the root causes of the two catastrophic leaks in the Facility, and frankly, all the historical 72 (that we know of) leaks over the past eight decades. Moreover, despite the documented leadership failures and clearly evident intent to cover up their mistakes, the Navy hopes that the investigation reports will somehow “rebuild trust” with the community! You can read a brief summary of what happened last year here.
The investigative reports confirm what the community has been saying for years: that the Navy cannot keep us safe from the existential threat of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, and that we must keep the pressure on Navy and Department of Defense leaders to ensure they act with the urgency our lives, and our future generations, desperately need.
Bottom line: They are not treating this like the emergency that it is. We don’t need another task force with zero accountability mechanisms, what we need is concrete action by the Navy and Department of Defense to defuel Red Hill using any and all means necessary, and to clean up the mess theyʻve made of the lands, waters, and lives of those who have been hurt by their negligence – at Kapūkakī, and every other place that has been contaminated by military occupation. .
Water Protectors Rising
The fight for clean water is a struggle that many communities can relate to–Red Hill is but another horrifying epicenter. This basic human right and sacred, essential life source has become inaccessible to communities across the globe, and communities continue to struggle to protect their water from the threat of additional contamination as we speak.
It’s up to us to ensure that we don’t just become another statistic, and that this pattern of destruction is disrupted and reversed not just here, but anywhere communities are threatened with water contamination. That is why we are thrilled to be partnering with Hawaiʻi Alliance for Progressive Action to host Water Protectors Rising, a virtual panel series exploring the interconnected fight of water protectors everywhere.
In June, we heard from water protectors from Hawaiʻi, Camp Lejeune, and Alaska about what is still happening on the ground and the lessons that have been learned in the fight for clean water. In case you missed it, you can watch the recording of the panel here.
We know what our communities need to keep us safe. Please join us this month to learn from organizers, advocates, and experts from Guåhan, Vieques, and Hawaiʻi as they share their experiences, current campaigns, and ways we can all build solidarity. You can register here. By linking arms with these communities and sharing knowledge with one another, we aim to build a stronger, more unified water justice movement, and we hope you join us for the this exciting conversation!
Organize!
Moments after we learned about the Navy’s defuel plan, Kaʻohewai put out a kāhea to the lāhui for an ʻanahulu of activism at the koʻa! They hosted 10 days of workshops, art, music, and film. Check out Kaʻohewai’s Instagram and Twitter to recap the events and to stay updated on future programs.
To ensure you don’t miss out on #ShutDownRedHilll events, add the joint Google calendar to your very own calendar here! You can also check out our live updates page to keep track of all the key news updates on Red Hill.
You will always have a place in the movement: Sign up to volunteer for various events, activities, outreach, and organizing efforts here.
Last but definitely not least, SIGN THE PETITION:
To demand that Navy and Department of Defense leaders make defueling the Red Hill Bulk Fuel facility the number one priority in Hawai'i, to be completed by the end of this year;
To demand that families reporting ongoing contamination issues have alternative water sources and/or lodging until their water is guaranteed to be safe; and
To demand that local Navy leaders meet regularly and directly with the community whose water and way of life remains in jeopardy, until this crisis is resolved.