Red Hill Fuel Tank Permit

In response to a lawsuit filed by the Sierra Club, in July 2018, the Department of Health adopted new rules rules requiring that the Navy obtain a permit to operate its antiquated and leaky underground storage tanks at Red Hill. It took the Navy almost a year to apply for the permit and then the Department of Health sat on the Navy’s application. The Sierra Club submitted extensive comments objecting to the permit and demanded a contested case hearing. The hearing has finally been scheduled for the first week of February next year. In the meantime, the Navy continues to operate its tanks in clear violation of the law.

A Navy consultant concluded that there is a 27.6% probability that the Red Hill Fuel Tanks will leak 30,000 gallons of fuel per year. It also concluded that over the next 100 years, there is a 34% probability that the Red Hill Fuel Tanks will suddenly leak more than 120,000 gallons of fuel. The law requires that tanks be operated in a manner to “prevent releases.” Yet, the Navy freely admits that there is a significant risk that these tanks will continue to contaminate our groundwater.

You can read more about the Red Hill fuel tanks here.