Public Comment Deadline Extended for Upgrade of Red Hill Fuel Tanks
You now have until July 20 to weigh in on a plan for聽the storage facility where dozens of leaks have occurred.
There’s still time for public comment on the U.S. military plans to upgrade the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility near Pearl Harbor after the deadline was extended Tuesday until July 20.
The agreement involves the military, the federal聽Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Health. It requires聽the military to take measures to minimize the threat of future leaks at the underground storage tank, the site of a major fuel leak last year.
To view the agreement, obtain more information and submit comments, go to or . After reviewing public comments, the federal EPA and state DOH and EPA may sign the agreement聽to make it effective, or may seek to modify it based on information received during the public comment period.
The underground storage tanks, which can hold 250 million gallons of fuel, leaked 27,000 gallons in January 2014, raising concerns about potential contamination of Oahu’s water supply. The spill was the latest of dozens of leaks over 70 years.
As part of the agreement, the military will install better technology to detect and prevent spills, with oversight from the EPA and DOH. The military may be fined if the work doesn’t meet certain deadlines and standards.
The military will also conduct a two-year study of the hydrogeology of Red Hill, past contamination by fuel leaks, cleanup methods and risks to Oahu’s drinking water. The study will additionally evaluate options for upgrading the tanks, which should be completed in phases over the next two decades.
EPA
