Navy says it’s legally barred from paying state’s $8.7M fine for wastewater violations
TL;DR - The Navy is contesting an $8.7 million fine for Clean Water Act violations and alleged deficiencies at its Pearl Harbor-Hickam wastewater treatment system, arguing that the penalty levied by the state Department of Health is legally prohibited because the state is barred from seeking punitive fines.
DOH fined the Navy in September for 766 counts of discharging undertreated sewage into the ocean between January 2020 and July 2022, in addition to 229 counts of operational and maintenance failures at its Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam wastewater treatment plant. DOH ordered the Navy to do extensive repairs to prevent a catastrophic failure. The Navy had 20 days to contest the order.
On Oct. 11, Navy Capt. Cameron Geertsema sent a letter to DOH requesting a hearing to dispute the fine and reach a resolution. He wrote that the Navy wants to “better understand your goals and incorporate those into a resolution that addresses recent incidents in a sound, environmentally compliant, cost effective, and timely manner.”
October 19, 2022: Navy says it’s legally barred from paying state’s $8.7M fine for wastewater violations, Honolulu Star-Advertiser