Underground Storage Tank Legislative Task Force Public Meeting Recap

Last week, the Legislative Task Force on Underground Storage Tanks held a public meeting to discuss the status of the Navy’s fuel tanks at Red Hill. Around 100 individuals joined via video conference to hear from the Navy, Department of Health, and U.S. EPA and to provide public comments and ask questions. 

The conversation focused on the recent rejection of the Navy’s Tank Upgrade Alternatives Decision Document. According to the Dept. of Health and EPA, the Navy’s preferred solution for upgrading the Red Hill fuel tanks “lacks detail, clarity, rationale and justification” to demonstrate that the Navy’s chosen option adequately protects Oʻahu’s drinking water. The Navy was unable to provide a timeline for when a revised Tank Upgrades Alternatives plan would be submitted and did not say whether they would be selecting a different tank upgrade option. The Navy’s current selection, Option 1A, was the least protective option for upgrading the tanks, and included applying a thin epoxy coating to the inside of the tanks and committing to “double-wall equivalency” or removal of the fuel “around 2045.” 

Beyond rejecting the Navy’s Tank Upgrade plan, the Dept. of Health and EPA also discussed the need to improve both the Navy’s corrosion testing and risk assessment work. In March 2020, the Dept. of Health and EPA disagreed with the Navy’s corrosion testing conclusions and said that improvements need to be made on future testing to more accurately predict corrosion on the tanks. In October 2020, the Dept. of Health and EPA disapproved the Navy’s Risk Assessment work, stating that the Navy needs to focus more on the environmental consequences of fuel leaks and options to mitigate contamination of O‘ahu’s water supply. 

The Navy then shared about a recently awarded contract to investigate secondary containment options for the Red Hill tanks. This research contract would look into installing two stainless steel liners on the inside of the existing fuel tanks, with a space between the liners to monitor for leaks. The feasibility study and initial specification for this work are due in April 2021. The committee asked that details about this contract and updates be shared at future meetings. 

The meeting closed with Q&A and public comments, where both committee members and public participants asked for increased transparency and opportunities to engage on this important issue. Many comments called for the relocation of the fuel, as it is still unclear if the Navy's pending revised plan for the Red Hill tanks would be feasible, protective of O‘ahu’s water, or could be completed by 2037/2038 deadline for upgrading all tanks at Red Hill.

Although this meeting gave more of a technical update, the take home message is that our continued and collective advocacy on Red Hill is helping. We’re noticing that decision makers are listening to community concerns and are holding the Navy accountable by rejecting their work when it is insufficient. The Navy now says that their priority is protecting the environment and keeping our drinking water safe, so let’s hold them to it. 

Mahalo for your ongoing support.