Local officials, activists praise Red Hill closure announcement with cautious optimism

TL;DR - Hawaiʻi's congressional delegation and local leaders praised the Defense Department's decision Monday to permanently shut down the Navy Red Hill fuel tank facility that leaked petroleum into Pearl Harbor's tap water. Some officials and activists voiced cautious optimism, warning there is a lot of work ahead.

The facility, built into the side of a mountain during World War II to protect the fuel tanks from enemy attack, leaked into a drinking water well and contaminated water at Pearl Harbor homes and offices in November.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the closure will protect the population and the environment, and will also lay the groundwork for a more secure military fueling system. He said Red Hill made sense when it was built in 1943, "but it makes a lot less sense now."

March 7, 2022: Local officials, activists praise Red Hill closure announcement with cautious optimism, Hawaiʻi Public Radio