The state of Hawaii could soon receive a much-needed financial boost to put toward defueling the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in Honolulu, thanks to federal funding secured by U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI).
Schatz, who's on the Senate Appropriations Committee, recently announced that $100 million in new federal funding will be going toward the costly project of removing fuel from the underground military fuel storage site.
"We just secured $100 million in new federal funding to defuel Red Hill," Schatz wrote in a Feb. 7 Facebook post. "My funding legislation also establishes Congress's official position on Red Hill: the DOD (Department of Defense) must defuel and follow the state's order immediately. We still have more work to do, but we are making good progress to protect our water and get this right."
Back in December, the Hawaii State Department of Health ordered the Navy to cease operations at Red Hill, remove fuel from the storage facility and treat contaminated drinking water. The order came about a week after area water users notice a fuel smell in the water, and a subsequent investigation found drinking water had petroleum components in it. The Hawaii State Department of Health said the storage system at Red Hill "presents a threat to drinking water and human health."
A release from Schatz's office noted that the senator worked closely with bipartisan leaders of the Senate Appropriations Committee to obtain the much-needed funding for Red Hill. Schatz also pointed out it represents just the first round of possible funding for the costly project to remove fuel from the storage facility.
Schatz plans to work with senior leaders in the Biden administration and the Senate Appropriations Committee in an attempt to secure more money to put towards defueling Red Hill.