Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reaffirms pledge to defuel Red Hill

TL;DR - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reiterated Thursday the Defense Department’s pledge to defuel the Red Hill fuel storage facility, but did not give a timeline for doing so.

Appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Austin told lawmakers — including Sen. Mazie Hirono — that defueling Red Hill will require significant resources.

"We have allocated funds that will help us begin to address the critical components here going forward — the defueling process, remediation will, no doubt, carry a significant expense. I certainly hope that Congress will continue to support us as you have done to this point," Austin said.

April 8, 2022: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reaffirms pledge to defuel Red Hill, Hawaiʻi Public Radio