Navy simulates fuel cleanup response at Red Hill

TL;DR - The Navy simulated a spill response exercise Thursday in preparation for draining approximately 1 million gallons of fuel from its Red Hill pipeline system. The Navy hopes to drain the pipes in October under a proposed plan that still needs to be approved by the state Department of Health.

The major defueling of the facility is not expected to begin until 2024, when the Navy plans to begin draining 104 million gallons from 14 tanks.

The Department of Defense said in a news release that Thursday’s exercise was “the culmination of weeks of training, coordination and scaled exercises” that included representatives from DOH, the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard.

September 24, 2022: Navy simulates fuel cleanup response at Red Hill, Honolulu Star-Advertiser